Fresh Blood
by Spicy-Vanilla
Summary: An angry and confused Sookie is taken hostage by a cunning Eric who has schemes of his own and a vendetta to fulfill. But things aren't always what they seem and Sookie is in for big surprises when she decides to trust Eric instead of Bill.
1. BlahBlah Vampire Emergency Blah

**Hello! My first attempt at a somewhat smut-like take on True Blood. I love the TV Show, loved the books even the story is quite different. I hope you will enjoy this. I might make this a short or long tale depending on my inspiration and your reviews! I start this with the end of the 11th episode of the third season, I Smell A Rat, where Sookie and Eric FINALLY get their long awaited kiss. From there on, I imagined the rest. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**P.S. Forgive me if the grammar is sometimes bizarre or frenchy. My first language being french, I tend to do those mistakes.**

**So here we go :P**

'What did you mean you're not gonna be around much longer?' I said, stomping my foot nervously.

Eric barely looked up at me and replied with an edge to his voice.

'Oh... don't pretend like you care about me.' Turning his head, he stared me in a way that made my insides churn with a strange feeling. Why on earth did this man do that to me every bloody time he looked at me? He made it feel like I was an all-you-can-eat buffet and he, a very, very hungry man. 'This is about Bill. Deep down you_ know_ you shouldn't trust him.' He continued, eyeing me with that same hunger in his eyes. He was a gorgeous man, if gorgeous could apply to a man. He had a beautiful jaw line and his broad shoulders spoke of his time as a warrior, once upon a time, when he was still human.

The more I thought about that damn dream I'd had about him telling me that Bill was not trustworthy, the more it felt as if he had only been the messenger of a thought I'd nurtured since my night at the hospital after Bill had almost drained me.

'Okay. Tell me why.' I replied, my treacherous heartbeat racing the moment he stood from his chair. Why the hell did the man enthral me with his every move? I loved Bill. But even Bill didn't muster such unchristian thoughts in my mind as Eric did. Must be the blood, I thought, pouting.

Circling predatorily, he loomed over me, his forehead almost touching mine. My breath caught in my throat and he must have heard it because he moved back sensibly. And then he spoke words that made absolutely no sense together.

'Here's the truth. There are forces beyond even my control.' _Like what?_ I thought, _your bloodlust?_ He swallowed hard, his Adam apple bulging from his muscular neck. I was mesmerized by it but brought my eyes back to his face, puzzled by his words. And he spoke again, more nonsense. 'If I meet the True-Death without having at least kissed you Sookie Stackhouse, that would be my biggest regret.' His voice sounded sad and almost like the purring of a dark dangerous animal. A sound I had never deciphered from this strong-willed vampire.

My eyes widened at his words. I knew the man wanted me, and now I knew it probably had something to do with my fairy-factor, but to hear him speak his want in such a broken way made me want to comfort him. Silly me. The man was over a thousand years-old, he did not need comforting from young, silly me. I really was getting annoyed at how he always tried to get the best of me whenever we were alone, flirting outrageously with me, even though he damn well knew I'd never be his. I realised I was gaping at him and finally clamped my mouth shut to open it again and ask the question that formed on my lips, the only question that made sense.

'Why does it sound like you're saying good-bye to me?' I felt my heart sink to my knees the moment the words crossed my lips. That was why I felt so alone already. That stupid blood-bond made all the more real the fact that he was certain he was going to meet the True-Death in the near future. He starred at me for a few, long, tensed seconds before he replied.

'Because I am,' was all he said before his lips crashed into mine. I tried to push him off, feeling suddenly weakened by his attack.

He knew I had a boyfriend, he of all people knew that and yet there he was, kissing me with all his might. And boy did the man have might. He was not at all bothered by my struggling; it actually seemed to tease him more into that passionate frenzy the kiss turned into. I was almost gasping for air by now and my fists relaxed and I grabbed a handful of Eric's hair and twisted it through my fingers, pulling him closer to me. My whole body was on fire as his hands grasped at the hair at the nape of my neck, sending shivers down my spine and to a very familiar area under my shorts' belt. His other hand was bringing me closer and closer to his lips, almost sucking me dry of breath. His hands cradled my face as if it were a precious gift he was now allowed to hold in his hands. His mouth was skilled just as his hands; after all, the man had a millennium of practice down his belt. His kiss was demanding but also generous, his tongue fighting entrance in my parted lips, massaging my own tongue in a manner that made me think of all the other things he could do with that tongue on my anatomy. My body was responding strongly to his, to his intoxicating touch. And I was supposed to be the intoxicating breed of the two of us. I responded to his mouth with just as much demand as he did. I could almost feel the electricity in the air. That kiss had been long awaited on his part, and, as it deepened, I realised I had been curious for a long time at how it would feel to be in the hands of this vampire instead of my caring and dark Bill. Eric was the exact opposite of Bill in the kiss department. Where Bill gave in with reluctance to a passionate frenzy, Eric shared his passion and pleaded for my approval; something I wouldn't have thought him capable of. He shared his heat, his passion with me, his lips begging me to respond. Those sudden thoughts about Bill brought me back to the harsh reality and as Eric loosened his grip to edge towards something I would surely regret, I pushed away, opening my eyes slowly.

'Okay! I get it! I'm irresistible and intoxicating, but keeping things from me doesn't exactly help your cause.' I snapped at him, angrier at myself for allowing me such weakness with him than at his kissing me. He just stared at me, his gaze glazed over with lust. I swallowed, trying hard to think of something very unpleasant so the throbbing between my thighs would stop. I would not lust over this demonic bastard, I growled internally. '_Tell me_ why I shouldn't trust Bill.' I stared at his hungry lips and felt the throbbing intensify. If the man did not utter a word in the next seconds, I would probably all my self control and push him on his desk for another _séance_.

He was about to answer when the door opened on a bored Pam. She always seemed annoyed and the way she looked at us made me realize she must have heard or felt all we had just done. Which wasn't much, but enough to bring a blush to my cheeks.

'What?' Eric glared at her, his eyes drilling holes in hers as if to say The-Fuck-Is-Wrong-Now. She smiled sarcastically and replied in a droning tone: 'Blah blah vampire emergency blah.' With that, she lashed out of the room, suggesting Eric do the same. Any other time, her words would have made me laugh or giggle, but the air was so charged between me and Eric that all I could do was stare at his backside when he left the room swiftly, closing the door in his track.

I waited impatiently for him to return so he would finally answer my questions about Bill. Minutes passed as I tried to regain composure. Bill would surely smell him all over me. Damn. I did not want to fight with him. He would already be really mad at me running out on Jason's surveillance time. I looked around for something, anything to scrub that terribly intoxicating smell of Eric's but found nothing. Office. Obviously the man didn't carry a perfume department in here. I was finding his absence longer than necessary and walked to the door to step out of this sinful place. I _so_ needed to go back to Church. Glancing back at Eric's desk, I couldn't help but imagine him looming over me as he descended on me for a very naughty lesson. Bad, bad Sookie, I scolded myself, almost laughing at my own silly joke. I put my hand on the doorknob to walk out and found the door locked. My mood drifted dramatically. The man was under my skin and I was pissed as I hadn't been in a long time. Why did he think he was allowed to trick me into drinking his blood? I was sure as hell all of this was because of the blood bond. And the man's skills at kissing. And my curiosity. And now I was trapped in his bloody office until he decided he had time for me.

The moment he opened the door, my anger rose again. He walked in with a blank expression on his face. I wasn't sure what we were supposed to act like now that he had kissed me and shown such a vulnerable side of his. I scolded at him: 'What? So you think you can just leave me here, prisoner until you decide you have time for me?' I snarled, my lips curling in anger.

He looked at me in a predatory way and I felt a shiver run down my spine. He did not look lustful one bit. He looked determined and dangerous. _Typical Vampire look_, I thought.

'Actually' he replied, 'that's exactly what I expect.' Suddenly, he launched at me and grabbed me, dropping me over his shoulder, just like Jason had done numerous times when we were younger. I yelped in surprise and started fidgeting, grabbing at anything to stop him taking me wherever he was taking me. I hit his back with my fists in what I hoped was a powerful hit. Obviously the man was as though as a rock and I ended up hurting my hands. I was yelling and yelling and then realized where he intended to take me.

'I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!' I yelled, smacking his hip with my fist. Once again it hurt me more than him.

'You were right.' He replied, and for once, I almost felt like he was lying. The man was a bloody mystery and a big a-hole. A thought suddenly occurred to me. The basement. The bastard was going to tie me to that wheel to keep me prisoner. The moment he got down the stairs, I yelled even louder, hoping my blood bond with Bill was still strong enough for him to feel me. I was so blinded by fury I didn't think straight as we descended the gloomy staircase which led to the room Eric used both for pleasure and business, both involving a good amount of pain or pleasure on both ends. I finally managed to utter coherent words.

'Let me GO!' I yelled. I immediately regretted using those particular words because he dropped me from his shoulder and I slumped disgracefully on the ground, hurting my lower back. He then swiftly grabbed a collar tied to one of the parts of the wheel and clasped it around my throat. I yelled louder, trying to yank my neck free. Tears were welling up in my eyes, tears of desperation and anger. I was so mad at myself for giving that man my trust one second. He didn't turn back to look at me as he escaped my presence, almost flying up the stairs. When I heard the door close in a metallic clank, I finally yelled his name in a desperate and angry manner.


	2. Phone Calls to Boring Bill

**Hello! Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy this :P i'm inspired tonight. Can't wait for episode 11!**

The air was damp and heavy and I was now trying to breath calmly to restrain myself from panicking. Why the hell had he taken me hostage? I was suddenly afraid about the perspective of Eric having me at his complete mercy. Perhaps he was going to trade me to Russell in order to save his own skin. That idea sent shivers down my spine. Russell had proven on live television that he was mad. I did not see myself becoming his pet.

What the hell was going on in Eric's mind? One moment he was kissing me like he was never going to let go and the next he was turning into a psychopath whore. He certainly was a bipolar vampire if such things existed. As good a survivor as I was, I tried to seek a pin of some sort to pick at the lock on my collar. I suddenly realised the collar wasn't even locked. A sweet gesture from Eric, I thought, grimly. He was smart and cunning. Certainly he hadn't forgotten to lock it. He had just wanted to make a point without humiliating me more than necessary. I wanted a stake really badly at this instant. Taking the goddamned collar off my neck, I couldn't but think about how Lafayette had been tied there for two long weeks. And then other images flooded my mind. That of Yvetta getting her brains fucked out by Eric. And then I thought about Eric's naked ass. Naked everything. God did I hate him! I wanted him dead. No, better, I wanted him begging me for his pitiful life.

I was wondering why the heck Bill hadn't arrived to rescue me. I must have fallen asleep because the next time I opened my eyes, the door was opening and Pam descended the stairs, looking grim.

'What the hell is wrong with you people!' I snapped at her, hoping to get a rise out of her. She was carrying a tray with food on it. Obviously Eric wanted me well fed for his master, I thought, rage, searing through me. I could have tried to jump past her and up the stairs but she was about a million times faster than me so I didn't even bother to try.

'I know it's a lot to ask of you right now, Sookie, but please trust us.' Pam muttered, trying to be nice as she dropped the tray next to my cradled legs. My shorts were damp from sitting so long on the cold floor and my t-shirt was not keeping me warm. I shook both in anger and cold and Pam sensed it.

'And who is us?' I replied, my eyebrows furrowed. 'You and the cold-hearted jerk you call your maker?'

'Eric didn't think you'd cooperate if he didn't keep you here by force. This can be a lot more pleasant than it currently is if you would be gracious enough not to try and run or give us trouble. His life is at stake. Pun intended.' _Wow_, I thought. Pam had humour.

'.' I replied, sarcasm dripping from my voice. 'So he thinks it alright to trade my skin for his own? You think I don't know he wants to trade me to Russell to save his sorry ass? I'm not a thing he can ship around in his stupid vendettas against the world!' I grumbled, fury searing me like a hot poker.

Pam gave me a long look. I stared at the tip of my shoes and wished I had been wearing silver jewellery today.

'You're cold. I'll bring you some clothes and cushions. Eric wants your stay here to be as comfortable as it may be. He might even allow you upstairs if you're nice and don't try to make a run for it. I don't think you're that stupid though. And of course, phone calls to boring Bill are prohibited. Though I'm sure he knows exactly where you are.' Pam said, her voice almost smug at the thought of Bill.

'If he knew I was here, he'd have saved me by now.' I replied, not so sure of myself.

'You should really trust Eric more, Sookie. It would save you lots of trouble and heartache.' Pam replied, meaningfully. I looked up at her and smiled my crazy Sookie smile. She looked a bit taken aback by that change in my attitude. Surprise, surprise. The smile didn't hold on long.

'Why the hell would I trust someone who makes out with me and then chains me like a dog?' I retorted, my voice icy.

'I really don't see what captures his attention so much.' She said, quizzically, before walking back up the stairs to fetch the items she had promised. She came back a few minutes later with a dark crimson blanket that looked damn comfortable to me after the cold hard floor, as well as a few cushions I recognized as being the ones from Eric's private sofa. She had some clothes with her. Man clothes. I almost laughed.

'That all you found to keep me warm? His shirt and pants?' I almost laughed at the irony of life at this instant.

'I did not think my latex outfit would do much for the heat. I know you humans are quite vulnerable to temperature changes.' She said that as though it was weird and annoying that humans were so vulnerable. The basement was freezing. I grabbed his shirt and pulled off my damp t-shirt, not giving a horse's ass that lesbian Pam was watching my every move with interest. I yanked it angrily in her face and pulled Eric's shirt on, buttoning it all the wrong way in my anger. I then proceeded with my shorts and let them fall on the ground, happy for once that I was wearing a nice pair of undies. It would have been strangely humiliating to be in ugly lingerie in front of Pam.

I pulled on Eric's way too long jeans and gazed at Pam's leather belt with a meaningful look to my face. She got the point and handed me the belt, scoffing at the fact she was sharing her cherished clothes with a human. I passed the belt through the loops of Eric's jeans and pulled until they hung to my hips. I must have looked ridiculous but now I did not care. At least my clothes were dry and warm. Pam smiled a sarcastic grin and took my damp shorts and t-shirt and strolled back up the stairs. I sat on the blanket and wrapped it around my small frame. The moment I was alone and concentrating on breathing, I realized that I felt better than before. I couldn't tell why immediately but then I understood. The smell of the shirt. It was Eric's and it smelt good, a small whiff of the collar informed me that it was his cologne, the same he had been wearing a few hours ago when he had kissed the hell out of me. He had worn the shirt recently. Bloody blood-bond. Where the hell was Bill? Couldn't he sense I needed him? But then again I thought: what could he do against Eric? Eric was older, stronger and most of all, his sheriff. Unless Bill became a renegade for his own kind, there would be lots of trouble ensuing his turning against Eric. But he wouldn't let me rot in here. Nor let me be traded to Russell. He'd do all he could to save me. I remembered about the tray of food and looked at it.

All my favourite things were pilled on the tray: a slice of that delicious pâté I had eaten at the restaurant Bill had taken me; I thought the name was something like _foie gras_, with fresh baked baguette warmed to the perfect temperature, a plate of delicious smelling roasted beef with veggies that looked almost too cute to eat and a delicate potato purée, and a decadent piece of chocolate cake for dessert. To drink, I had water or a bottle of icy cold Coca-Cola. Weird match... No wine or alcohol since I didn't like it all that much except for the occasional gin-and-tonic or Coke and Bourbon. Give it to Eric to pick a great meal for a prisoner. The man was a contradiction. I almost decided not to eat the food out of stubbornness but I realized that I was starving. I couldn't tell the time by the light in the damp basement because it didn't have any windows and my cell phone had remained in my purse upstairs. I just knew that the food would be greatly welcomed by my stomach. I ate everything and drank all the Coca-Cola, leaving the water for later. I then decided to explore the basement. The room was pretty big, but didn't cover the entire surface of the bar. I supposed there was either a hidden door or another access that lead to the other rooms.

There wasn't much of anything, a few empty boxes of True Blood and a few dusty piles of calendars. _Fangtasia_ calendars. I had never seen one of these myself. Curious, I grabbed one and went back to my hiddey-hole under the blanket to look at it. Of course, it was a naughty calendar. I wasn't even surprised that that people posing were vampires. Trust Eric's business sense to create something wildly sexy and quite classy out of trashy vampy pictures. I almost gasped when I turned the first page and gazed at the January picture. It was Eric. In all his naked glory with a long coat of white fur in his hand, hanging in the right place to cover his absolutely not modest manly body. His face was turned towards the camera and he had his predatory face on, almost as if he was going to leap out of his pose to take a bite out of the naughty bystanders. I felt a pang of lust down to my toes at the sight of his oh-so manly body and then rage surged through me again. I ripped the picture to shreds and threw the remains of the calendar away from me. I then felt very tired and thought that sleeping might be my best option whilst waiting for Bill or Jason or Sam or whoever might care enough to come and save me.

I awoke in dazed state. I was confused as to where I was and why I was there. There was someone sitting close to me, looking at me. I opened my eyes a crack and almost yelped out in surprise. Eric was there, looking smoulderingly beautiful in his dark tank and black leather pants. He was staring at me with a look of absolute lust. I was not longer wearing his shirt or jeans as of when I had fallen asleep on the concrete floor, but only my bra and panties. And I couldn't remember ever being mad at him. He smiled when he saw my eyes open.

'Hello Sookie' he whispered, he voice low and sexy. I smiled at him as he pulled me onto his lap. I was straddling him and he looked at me thoughtfully, holding me by my waist, his big hands almost circling me entirely. I shuddered under his touch, my gaze growing lustful as I took in his gorgeous face.

'Why am I here?' I whispered, afraid I would disrupt some sort of sacred silence that had grown out of his words.

'Because I need you. And you need me, lover.' He replied, his last words dying on my lips as he kissed me gently, nibbling at my bottom lip. My body went ballistic on me and I grind on his groin with my hips, prolonging the kiss. My body could be such a treacherous bitch sometimes. I could tell however he was appreciating my moves since his member was stirring in his tight jeans.

'Why can't I trust Bill?' I whispered in his ear as he trailed wet kisses down the side of my throat.

'You know why. You should be mine.' He replied, biting my earlobe. I moaned in pleasure as he rapidly unclasped my bra and freed my breasts which by now were almost quivering for his touch. He lowered his mouth to my left breast and gently bit it, his teeth barely grazing the sensitive skin around my nipple, sending shudders of pleasure down my spine. My panties clung to me where my arousal had wet them and I decided Eric was definitely overdressed for the turn of events.

Sliding my hands tentatively down his body whilst his mouth rejoined mine, I tugged at his tank top, pulling it off him, our lips parting for the seconds it took to remove the unnecessary attire. He smiled a devious grin, his fangs partly out, and nibbled at my jaw line. Pulling away to look at me, he licked his lips, tasting the flavour of my skin on them. Suddenly, I remembered that he was a jerk and keeping me hostage and decided to slap him real hard. He turned his head with the impact of my hand on his cheek and grinned, his fangs now completely out. He turned back to look at me and the sight of his lustful eyes and fangs made me want to kiss him once more. He lowered his mouth to my collarbone and bit me, sipping at my blood like it was a grand cru, making me whimper in pleasure.

And then I woke up. And I was pissed as hell. I was aroused and alone in the damp bloody basement. I hated him more than ever now because he kept on invading my dreams with naughty thoughts. I was with Bill. I loved Bill! Where was Bill now when I needed him most? At that moment the upstairs door opened and I looked up in horror to see who was coming for me this time.


	3. Mr January

**Hey hey! Another chapter! Hope you guys find them long enough and entertaining! I'd really love some feedback, opinions, whatever :) comment! Hopefully you'll like this one :P More Sookie and Eric flirting:P **

Surprisingly enough, or not, it was Eric himself. Looking smug and annoying. I stared at him with hatred oozing from my every pore. Or so I hoped. He had changed. And he looked like he needed some rest really bad. His nose looked slightly bloody.

'What the hell could you want now? Russell here to eat me yet?' I snapped, my gaze trying to hold his piercing blue one.

'Are you comfortable?' He simply asked, looking at the empty platter with a look of satisfaction that made me feel like slapping off his handsome face. The man disgusted me. How could he believe I'd let him trade me to Russell? He spotted the remains of the calendar that I had hatefully destroyed earlier and I caught a glimpse of a smile on his lips.

'What's so funny?' I asked, pouting.

'I take it you did not like my picture.' Eric said, sitting too close for comfort. 'Now I want you to listen to me Sookie.'

'Why would I do that, you filthy bastard? You chained me like a dog and are keeping me here against my will! And I don't even know what time it bloody is!' I growled.

'It's almost ten in the morning.' He said, his voice quite low, as if he didn't have much energy. 'I don't have much time but I must tell you a few things.'

'I don't want to listen. Where's Bill? How will you explain this to him!' I said, gesturing to the damp basement and to my being dressed in Eric's clothes. Damn him and his cologne.

'I don't have to explain anything to Bill Compton.' Eric roared. 'He is the one who has explaining to do. And not to me. I care not for what Bill Compton does or does not do just as long as he doesn't hurt things that are of importance to me.' Eric continued, almost sounding human. I gathered that the thing in question was I. I jumped at the bone he had just thrown me.

'You dare say you care for me? After you've treated me like a prisoner? You kiss me and then you throw me in your filthy basement! What in heaven's sake is wrong with you, selfish coward bastard!' I yelled, drumming my fists on his chest. He grabbed both my wrists softly and pulled me to my feet, looming over me as he had done in a completely different situation earlier that night.

'If you'd let me explain, I would tell you what I can tell you without endangering my plan. Or you as a matter of fact.' He replied, his face very serious.

'You have two minutes top.' I replied, pulling myself away from him and leaning on one of the cement columns.

'Russell murdered my human family. Every single one of them. I was the sole survivor. I've been looking for him for over a millennium. And I intend to take my revenge on him.' Eric said, his gaze piercing through my very soul.

I bit my lower lip not to reply something I would regret. Since when did the man have sentiments? Russell was clearly insane, but keeping a grudge for a family that had long been outlived for over a millennium felt quite insane in a way.

'Why is he after you then? And why do you need me?' I said, my voice calmer, my breathing more relaxed.

'I killed his child and lover, Talbot.' Eric simply said, using as few words as possible as he usually did.

'He took your family so you took his.' I breathed, starring at my bare toes. Somehow during my naughty dream, I had lost my shoes. Couldn't remember how or when though.

'Precisely. And now he's after me. And went medieval on live television. Basically, between Nan, him and your insane Compton boy, I have a death warrant hanging over my head. Hence what I..._told_ you earlier.' He said, referring to a way too vivid image of our bodies entangled in a passionate embrace. I felt suddenly very self conscious about my appearance, thanks to the blood-bond. I rolled the long sleeves of his shirt and he looked with interest at my weird clothing.

'You look quite the sight in my clothes. You could lose the jeans, it'd be even better. Though I'd much prefer you without any at all.' He said, bluntly speaking his mind. Typical Eric. I blushed. Typical me.

'And where do I fit exactly in your super attempt at saving your miserable ass? And why in heaven's sake do you think I should help you? You dug your own grave, Eric.' I replied, my instincts telling me I wouldn't like his plan one bit.

'I'll give you some of my blood so you will be strong. That's the first part of my plan.' Eric said, closing the space between us, trapping me against the column. I swallowed hard, again intoxicated by his breathtaking face and body. I dug my nails in my palms as I was sure he could smell my arousal from that dream I'd had before he'd disturbed my peaceful (I wish...) sleep. His nostrils flared and he smiled smugly.

'You won't trick me into drinking your blood again, you can be sure of that.' I muttered, trying to gain some time. Where was Bill? Then it hit me. It was ten, in the morning. Only very old vampires were able to stay awake during daytime. Bill, though out to look for me, must have dug himself up for the time being.

'You will drink. Because you're smart. And I know that you trust me. You are now blinded by your pride because I misbehaved towards you earlier, but you know that I'm worthy of your trust.' Eric said, his hips now flush with my stomach, his strong hands caressing the exposed skin of my collarbone. I tried to slip away from where he had me cornered but he pressed both his hands on the sides of my head, his palms flat on the column. My breathing became erratic. He was too close for comfort. Or not enough? I felt extremely aware of how his lips approaching my face made me want to discover just how good he was in bed, but I had my pride. And he was a big time a-hole and a liar.

'I will not drink. Because I don't want to. And the blood-bond is a pain in the ass. Now if you'd remove yourself from my sight, I might be able to sleep off your annoying presence.' I whispered, looking at everything but him, which was hard now that his 6 foot 4 figure pretty much blocked my sight from anything that might have held any interest in the bare basement.

'Why do you think I made you drink my blood in the first place?' He suddenly asked, his mouth close to my neck. It felt as if he was smelling me, testing me. His breath caressed my skin and involuntary shivers ran down my spine.

'Because you're a big a-hole. We established that in Dallas, I believe.' I whispered, my breath still shallow from his proximity.

'I wanted to feel you. I hoped it would help me figure out what fascinates me so much about you.' He replied, planting a soft kiss on the tender skin of my neck, right below my jawbone. I had never felt so contradicted: I wanted him to ravish me on the spot and at the same time, the sane part of my mind wanted to stake him to death.

'It's my blood. Part fairy, remember?' I sneered, grabbing a handful of his hair to pull his head back from my neck. His mouth was now dangerously close to mine and I turned my face so as to take temptation away from the both of us.

'Oh, I don't believe it's just the blood. You're special, Sookie Stackhouse. A rare breather. Breathers usually bore me. But you keep on surprising me. And I've grown to feel strangely human around you. And I don't like it.' He finished, planting a kiss near my ear, pushing my hair out of his way.

'Will you stop molesting me, already?' I muttered, trying very hard not to moan when his teeth took hold of my earlobe. This was turning into one of the dreadfully sinful dreams I'd been having about Mr. Northman in the past few weeks.

'Molesting you. Hardly.' He whispered, continuing his ministrations on my cheek, his teeth softly nibbling at my jaw line. What was _wrong_ with me? How could I be enjoying this when I was kept against my will and the girlfriend of Bill?

I suddenly felt something wet dripping on my neck. I looked at him, our mouths nearly colliding and almost jumped back in surprise. His nose was bleeding.

'What's wrong with you?' I said, my voice croaky from my arousal.

He wiped his nose and trailed his other hand down my side and rested it on my hip. Just his touch sent fire through my skin from my scalp to my toes. Bill. Bill. Bill. Dead kitties. Bill. Ew. Gross. Eric. Naked. In his Mr. January picture. I really had a treacherous mind.

'Vampires refer it to as the bleeds. Happens when we're sleep deprived' he explained swiftly. 'So as I said earlier, you will drink my blood. So you'll be strong. And I'll have a drop of yours.'

'What?' I yelped, suddenly very, very nervous. 'No.' _You wish, cowboy_.

'Why not?' Eric whispered seductively, his mouth trailing fire down my throat as he kissed his way down to the now not-so-covering collar of the shirt he had lent me. His hand snaked up behind my neck and he grabbed a handful of my messy curls, my ponytail now long gone. He was rough and yet tender in his gestures. The thug at my hair made me whimper both in pain and lust. With his hold on my neck, he forced my gaze up to his.

'Because I'm Bill's.' I replied, nervously biting my lower lip.

'But you will be mine. Someday. Sooner than you might think.' He said it with such lustful confidence I was almost convinced.

'And what makes you think that?' I replied, my anger rising again at his smug confidence. He really thought he was irresistible, didn't he?

'Because Bill cannot be trusted.' Eric simply said, using his free hand to unbutton the shirt i was wearing. He was so fast I realized what he had done only when i felt the material of his tank top on my bare skin.

'How dare you!' I snapped at him, trying to yank free of his hold to cover myself.

'You're beautiful, Sookie' he whispered, his hand still at the nape of my neck whilst the other one went on an adventurous tour under the shirt. He grazed my lace covered breasts and kissed my lips with a fire that made me forget momentarily that I even had a boyfriend. Or a name. The man was dangerously good with his lips.

'Why do you absolutely want me to drink your blood?' I replied, when he finally let go of my lips. My panties were probably by now soaked. The throbbing between my thighs was unbearable and I deliberately grabbed his hips to grind against mine. He grunted and I felt his own arousal rubbing against my thigh. He suddenly stop, closing his eyes to regain composure.

'Because you'll need to be strong when Russell drinks from you.' He replied, his voice now very serious.


	4. From That Moment You'll Be Underdressed

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! They make me so happy I feel like writing more and more :)! I'm inspired these days so I'll try to update as much as I can. I just started university and can't bring myself to concentrate in class. Instead, I write this loll hopefully you enjoy this chapter. Btw, I know there is lots of flirting and stuff and eventually there will be more, but I strongly believe in building up tension, sexual and non. Hopefully you don't find this boring! Enjoy ;) Review, review, review :) I love reviews! **

I must have looked really sick or pale because Eric grabbed me roughly, shaking me back to reality.

'Sookie...Sookie, don't panic. Please calm down.' He growled in my ear, holding me to his (firm and muscular) chest. His words had the effect of a cool bucket of water on me. I tensed in his hold and he felt it. He was gentleman enough to let me go. I was furious and terrified at the same time. I couldn't believe he had just said that. _Because you'll need to be strong when Russell drinks from you_...What the hell did the man hope to achieve by giving a sip of _me _to the madman?

'Get out.' I said, my voice raspy, clinging at my shirt, _his shirt_, trying to close it.

'Hardly, my love.' He whispered, sitting back down on the concrete floor, at my feet, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

'Get out.' I croaked again, letting myself slide down, my back on the column. I cradled my legs with my arms, putting my forehead to my knees. My hair cascaded on my cheeks, hiding my face from him.

'Listen to me, Sookie. I need you to drink from me. I know you don't want to, and I know damn well I'd rather you liked the experience, but it is important that you be strong. Russell will not drain you. Nor will I. I would not allow it and you know it. But he needs to drink from you. It's imperative that he does.' Eric said, his voice a calm thunder roll. He was mad, but not at me, the bond told me. He was mad at himself for scaring me.

'Why?' I replied, tears now rolling freely on my cheeks. I lifted my head to look at him, my vision blurred by the tears.

'I cannot tell you. Otherwise it might not work.' He responded, wiping my right cheek with his callused thumb. He then did something rather strange and unsettling. Bringing his wet thumb to his lips, he proceeded to lick it dry of my salty tears. I must have looked puzzled because he simply grinned and said:

'I love your flavour. It's like having grapes when you crave some wine.'

I looked at him, disgusted. Why the hell did he believe he had a right over me? To order me to do a dreadful thing, willingly allowing the monstrous Russell to drink from me? Whilst he would watch, if not participate?

I was about to ask him a question when he just stood up and slowly backed away from me, his nostrils flaring. He was smelling something he disliked very much.

'There's a bitch in the place.' He growled. 'I've smelt her before. She was recently injured too I believe.'

'What?' I whispered, puzzled, suddenly scared by his demeanour.

'A were. Non friendly' He specified, crouching next to me. 'I'll be right back lover.' He whispered to me before he left me, strolling up the steps, ready to pounce. I heard some sort of commotion upstairs, people fighting obviously, and tried to make myself as small as possible. It obviously wasn't vamps, and I had a faint idea of who the injured bitch was and kind of liked Eric referring to her as that: Debbie Pelt, Alcide's ex-girlfriend who had attacked me mere days ago. How she had found me, I couldn't tell but I damn well knew that Eric wouldn't let her get at me, now that I was just back to being a good blood bag for his business. The door suddenly opened with a kick. Eric, no doubt. I could feel his smugness through our bond and when he descended on the stairs, I understood why. An unconscious Debbie was slouched over his shoulder and he roughly dropped her at my feet, swiftly binding her from head to toe with strong ropes he had on his other shoulder.

'I believe she wanted you dead.' Eric snarled, kicking her bloodied torso with disgust. How surprising, I thought. I took a good look for the first time at the gash I had done on her perky face with the scissors when she had attacked me at my home: it went from her left eyebrow to the corner of her mouth and even though she cured much faster than a regular human, I could see the gash would leave a scar. Too bad for her, I thought. She kind of had deserved it.

'I also believe you gave her that little souvenir.' Eric muttered, pointing at her cheek. 'I like a combative woman.' He said, looking at me, proud. Grabbing one of the collars hanging at the wheel, he wrapped it around Debbie's neck and clinked it shut. He then proceeded to lock it with a padlock. At least she wasn't getting anywhere. 'What do you want me to do with her? Kill her?' He asked, as if he was offering me water. Thinking about water made me realised I really badly needed to pee. And change. I wanted out of his clothes.

'No. I'm no murderer, Eric. Maybe it's alright with your kind to kill people without cause, but it isn't in my world.' I muttered, looking with disgust at Debbie's sausaged figure.

'I do think she came here in the firm intention of killing you. I think she tracked your smell all the way from Bon Temps. That seems cause enough for me.' He said, sitting back in front of me.

'Can't you put her somewhere else?' I whimpered, not wanting to endure the confrontation that would surely ensue when the mad girl regained consciousness.

'I can do whatever you want. But you'll have to drink from me. Very soon. And I from you. If she's here' he said with disdain 'Russell can't be far. If he comes tonight, we need to be prepared.' Eric finished, approaching me to softly caress my hair.

'First, I need to go to the bathroom. And I need fresh clothes and a shower.' I replied, crossing my arms on my chest, in hopes of keeping the shirt in place, covering my chest completely. I tried to put on my stubborn chest, at lost with my emotions. Anger, frustration, stress and incomprehension were flooding my brain to the point where I was almost drowning in contradictory emotions.

'Anything you like.' Eric replied, grabbing my hand to pull me to my feet. He then pulled me upstairs with him and into the dark and empty bar. Wherever Debbie had breached, the doors were back in place and apart from droplets of blood, _hers_, staining a few tables, there weren't any traces of the earlier fight. I thought about making a run for it for the door, but it was surely locked and Eric would get in my way in less time than it took to say Ta-da. Eric took me to a part of the bar I had never visited. It looked like the employees' room and was quite the decadent sight. The entire room felt like the inside of a jewellery bow: dark velvet covered the walls and modern furniture was sprawled all around. Damn. If I could have an employee room like that at Merlotte's, I'd probably move in! Eric strolled through the room and went straight to Yvetta's locker. Her name was scrawled on a fancy sticker on the front. He yanked the door open and went through her clothes, throwing them to the floor. Most of her things we tiny pieces of lace or fishnet that she wore for her dances at night, but she also had some regular jeans in there. Eric took a pair, sized me up and then threw them at me.

'They might be a bit long, but the size should be good.' He said simply. Meaning _I'm shorter than the sexy European he loved to take for a six hour ride in his basement, but not too fat to fit in her jeans_.

'Geez, thanks.' I mockingly told him, looking at the jeans. They were actually quite beautiful and the cut seemed very fitted, almost skin-like. Damn. He then continued searching for something in the locker. _Did the girl carry all her wardrobe in there?_ I wondered, somewhat annoyed.

Eric then found what he had been looking for: a tiny lacy pair of panties and a matching bra, all in a warm cream colour that would look quite nice against my tan. He turned to look at me and gave them to me without more ceremony. He simply grinned, no doubt imagining me in those and then proceeded to look for a top.

'You want me to wear those?' I whimpered, holding the lace panties in front of my puzzled face.

'I don't have much more to offer, I'm afraid, unless you wish to go commando? I usually do that.' He replied, his grin smug and suggestive. The man was unsettling. His mere offer and his grin were sending waves of heat down to my pelvis. My skin felt flushed and my breath caught in my throat. In answer to my arousal, he simply licked his lip in a deliberately slow manner.

'Find me a shirt.' I then checked the bra size to distract myself from his presence and moaned in disappointment. The bra would be a tight, tight fit. I however felt a surge of pride at the idea that I had more bosom than Miss Yvetta.

'What's wrong?' He said to me, approaching me with a thin piece of white fabric that surely couldn't be a top.

'Too small.' I replied, jutting my chin at the bra that dangled from my clammy fingers.

'Oh.' Was all he muttered, his lids half closing, sizing me once more.

'True, you are more bosomy than Yvetta. She's skinnier whilst you are more curvy. I like a curvy woman.' He drawled. I almost felt like smacking his face. But I refrained, remembering my hurt fists from my earlier attempts at escaping from his hold.

'You are so freaking smug. Now I want my shower.' I replied, swallowing my pride to look up at his dazzling eyes.

'Care if I join you?' He suggested, cocking his eyebrow, very aware of the answer he sure would get from me.

'Ew.' I simply shrugged, pushing him out of my way. I spotted the bathroom and was relieved to find soap, shampoo and all the necessary things for a long awaited shower. The stall was big and new. Not a cheap brand either. I locked the door behind me and undressed, keeping Eric's shirt on over my bra and panties as I searched for a towel. A knock on the door made me jump. I opened the door a crack and frowned at Eric. He was taking in my lack of clothes with an apparent delight for someone who was facing death.

'You forget the towel.' He said, handing me a plush white one. 'You sure you don't need my help in there?' he asked again.

'Nop. All good. Now let me be?' I replied, looking with fascination as a drop of blood slid down his nose towards his lips. I swiftly passed my thumb on his upper lip, cleaning the blood away. This move surprised me and I was then at lost as to what to do with the blood. Grinning wickedly, I smeared it on his black tank and closed back the door before he could say or do anything else.

The shower felt amazing and apart from wondering if Eric had installed cameras in here to spy on his dancers, I almost enjoyed it, even though my predicament wasn't all that alluring. I just had to wait for the sun to set and soon enough Bill would be here to make everything alright. Once I was done, I wrapped myself in the thick towel and passed a comb through my wet hair. I then dressed and was surprised to find a bit of makeup in a little bag on the shelf under the sink mirror. I could very well borrow a bit, after all I wouldn't be around much longer for people to resent me for taking their stuff, I thought, a pang of sadness hitting me hard. I was most probably going to die drained tonight and now all I wished for was to be cradled in Bill's arms. I dabbed on some makeup and tousled my wet hair before putting on the tiny panties. They were very, very tiny. And the bra indeed was too small, making my breasts stand out in a very suggestive way. No wonder Eric liked Yvetta, she was such a major slut, I thought grimly. I pulled on the jeans and rolled them at the leg, slightly pissed at her 5'9'' frame whilst I stood my 5'6''. I then looked at the top. It that_ could_ be called _that_. It was a transparent sleeveless top that left very little to the imagination. No wonder Eric had picked it. He was a major pain in the ass. When I finally emerged from the bathroom, he was sitting on the couch, lost in his thoughts. When he saw me, his eyes almost glazed over with lust, sending tremors of the same feeling down my spine and straight to my core. I crossed my arms on my chest, a vain attempt at hiding modestly my chest. He swiftly stood up and pushed my wrists away gently.

'I definitely should dress you more often' he muttered, appreciatively eyeing my figure. 'And the bra is perfect.' He purred. Did the man's libido ever quiet down? I wondered, smugly raising my eyebrows.

'Now what?' I snickered.

'Now you take my blood and I yours.' He simply said.

'No.' I replied, my voice strong.

'Don't make me force you Sookie.' He whispered, caressing my cheek in an almost romantic manner, had it been anyone but him.

'Tell me why it's necessary. Convince me.' I replied, challenging him. I suddenly wasn't so afraid of him anymore. I felt almost trusting towards him. I knew he had plans and goals of his own, and I didn't like one bit behind dragged into them, but if he really cared about me, I was pretty sure he'd ensure I came out of this alive and sane. He had already saved my life many times, even though my life had been endangered in the first place by his vampire politics, but then again I had made a deal with him.

'You are special, I told you before. I believe your blood can do wonders for my kind. If I can trick Russell into drinking a bit of it, I might get the moment I need to take him out.' He replied, simply.

'That's it? That's your grand plan?' I replied, almost giggling. I was totally dead. So totally dead. That was the worst plan I'd ever heard.

'No, that is not _it_' he replied, almost bored by the discussion at hand. 'But if I tell you the rest, it won't work. Now, have I ever given you reasons to not trust me?' he asked, his voice a deep growl.

'Time and time again, yes.' I reminded him, cocky. Was he amnesiac or something? Just the previous night he had kidnapped me. Was still keeping me prisoner!

'Well I wish you had a better opinion of me. I will have to work hard on changing that. Just know that I never do something without cause or reason.' Eric said, twisting one of my wet locks around his index finger.

'Oh. That sounds promising' I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I couldn't help but enjoy his caresses. I was strained and stiff from my night on the concrete floor of his dirty basement and I felt like I really needed a massage. Almost reading my thoughts, he spun me around and moved my hair out of the way, brushing his fingers on the skin of my neck, leaving trails of fire behind him.

'Trust me, Sookie.' He sighed in my ear before he placed his strong hands on my shoulders, pushing me down on the couch. Sitting behind me, he then proceeded to massaging my shoulders, removing all the stress and tension from my muscles. I must have moaned because I heard an almost animalistic growl ripple through his chest.

'Where does it hurt?' he asked, his voice deep and low.

'Everywhere.' I answered, truthfully. My entire body ached both from my recent fight with Debbie and my general tired state. His hands slipped under the transparent shirt and he yanked it over my head without leaving me time to even protest. His hands were way too skilled for me to complain. He massaged and rubbed my back muscles and even went lower than my comfort allowed, caressing the soft skin near the low-cut jeans' band. I felt the fire under my skin spread all over me. The man was teasing me into a frenzy I did not share with no one but Bill. Suddenly, he removed his right hand and pressed me to his crotch and chest, wrapping his left arm around me. He then shoved his bloodied right wrist close to my mouth and swiftly brought his mouth down on the side of my neck which was exposed.

'Drink.' He simply growled. And I did. And I hated myself for it, but I trusted him, decided to give his plan a chance. After all, I did not have a better one to remove myself from Russell's unwanted attention. And I could hardly picture my world without the Viking in it, whether he annoyed me or not.

I closed my lips on his wrist and started sucking at his blood, tasting it really for the first time. It tasted very different from Bill's, like drinking champagne after a lifetime of cheap beer. We were far from our experience in Dallas where I had been tricked into sucking the silver out of his chest, against my will.

This exchange was almost erotic, my libido flying off the hook. His left hand was stroking my chest and the moment I swallowed the first mouthful of his blood, I heard him whimper and felt his member jerk in his jeans. _Sweet Jesus, Shepherd of Judea_, I thought, the man was _big_. In every way possible. He started planting wet kisses down the length of my neck and I couldn't help but moan right into his wrist, sending shudders through his entire body.

And then he bit me. And I thought I would die.


	5. Taking out the trash

**ME AGAIN! Okay first of all, thank you all for the amazing review. I am soooo, soooo happy that you people actually enjoy my story! I'm loving writing it!**

**To answer some of your questions, I just started Law School in Montreal. I'm liking it alright so far. **

**Also, I read all the books by Charlene Harris and will probably be loosely basing my story on the events of the books (loosely as in I might not respect everything).**

**Second, I do believe that my Sookie here is quite a little too attached to Eric to her own liking and is constantly blaming that attachment and attraction on his blood she now has had twice. However, he has now had hers, so when I refer to a blood-bond, I do mean that he can feel her, and she can now feel him too. Basically, it's my version, a remix of the AB version and the CH one. Hopefully that doesn't disappoint anyone! :P**

**Finally, this chapter is pretty long and I hope you'll all like it! Please review! Makes me very happy and stimulates me to write more. I will try to post one chapter per day and if I can't I'm very sorry in advance. Love you all! Enjoy!**

My whole body arched towards his mouth, almost begging him to swallow me whole. His tongue lapped at my neck as if he was trying to ease the pain away. _What pain?_ I wondered. This felt way too good to be true. The only comparable memory I had was my first time with Bill, when he had bitten me for the first time, taking me over to his darker side of the world. Eric had skills in the lustful department that I had never experience with any other man. I'd only had Bill all the way, but I'd had the occasional flirt, with JB Du Rone and others who found my body attractive enough to set aside their fear of my capacities.

I sucked harder at his wrist, wondering why I had ever refrained myself from ravishing the man. He wanted me and I, him. I didn't love him. Not like I loved Bill anyways. He was just sinful and I enjoyed it. At least that's what I tried to convince myself as his left arm descended down my chest towards my jeans' band. He had the button undone and the zip down before I could stop him. Did I actually want him to stop? Then I thought about Bill. My beloved Bill. He would be hurt if he found out I had let Eric make me his, even partially. So I roughly pushed his wrist from my mouth, and his other hand from my wet panties.

'Stop.' I whispered, my voice weak from his touch.

'Beg me.' He muttered against my neck, still enjoying my taste.

'Please.' I whispered, dragging my hands behind my head to roughly thug at his hair. He moaned in another language, probably Swedish, I supposed since he was a Viking and all, and he reluctantly pulled away, closing the wound on my skin with a swift flick of his tongue.

'You taste incredible.' He breathed, his manhood pressed into my lower back. He must have been tight in his pants and I almost pitied him for it. 'No wonder Bill wanted to keep you to himself. You have the most amazing blood I've ever tasted.'

'Or so I've been told.' I shuddered, amazed at my own bluntness.

'That was quite interesting.' He whispered in my ear before planting a kiss on my cheek and removing himself from behind me. I almost felt cold the moment his firm chest wasn't pressed anymore against my bare back. I then realized I was only wearing a bra and my jeans and looked around for the tiny top he had borrowed from Yvetta's.

He disappeared a minute from the room and I wondered where the hell he might have gone. Looking at the clock that hung on the wall, I was amazed when I realised that it was now almost 5 in the afternoon, meaning the sun was now about to set. And the fun was about to begin, I thought, grimly. I walked to the bathroom and tried to see how much damage this blood exchange had done me. My skin almost glowed with health and my hair looked shinier than it had a few long minutes ago. The bite marks at my neck were already fading and I felt incredible. I felt healthy and strong and powerful. I walked out of the bathroom, a proud smile on my face. If I had to go down tonight, at least I would do so with grace. I wished Bill could be here now so he'd see me and care for me and make love to me. I was still quite horny from my erotic exchange with Eric and wondered where the hell he was. Walking out of the employee room, I entered the bar. The place wouldn't open till later on in the evening, if it opened at all. Pam was already there, sitting on a stool, in downtime. I was suddenly very aware of the fact I had only eaten early this morning. But I wasn't even hungry. Just nervous and full of vitality. The moment I stepped in the room, she turned and looked at me with a victorious smile.

'So you obeyed. I'm rather pleasantly surprised, Sookie.' She drawled, approvingly.

'I did not exactly have a choice now did I?' She wrinkled her nose, smelling my arousal and smirked.

'I do believe you enjoyed it as much as he did.' She simply said. How annoying they sometimes were with their super perceptive senses. Bloody Vamps.

'Where's Eric?' I wondered, hearing some noises from his office.

'Taking out the trash I believe.' Pam replied, looking me up and down, appreciating my temporary vulnerability in the clothing department. I crossed my arms purposely on my chest, arching my eyebrows in a questioning look.

'Taking out the trash?' I questioned, puzzled. And suddenly I heard it, a growl I had spent the last 24 hours wishing I would hear. Bill.

I dashed for the office door and opened it. The scene before me could have made me laugh had I not felt the anger and tension between the two vampires. Bill was hanging from Eric's outstretched arm and he was fidgeting for his sheriff to let him go, snarling.

'Where is she!' He bellowed, his voice cavernous and menacing.

'Bill!' I yelped. Dropping him, Eric turned to look at me as I dashed towards Bill and jumped into his arms, cradling his face to mine for a long fiery kiss. I could almost feel Eric's temper flaring at the display of affection. I looked up at him, my anger back and flaring.

'Don't you touch him again.' I snapped at him whilst Bill checked me all over for some sign of injury. I was thankful for the vampire blood now because there weren't any bite marks left on my neck. However, I smelt of Eric. I could see it in Bill's displeased look and grunt of anger.

'What did he do to you?' He asked, menacingly. 'If he hurt you I'll go down killing him.' He snapped.

Eric snickered at that and sat behind his desk, plumping his feet on the table. He did not look the least bit tired even though he had spent the day awake. _My blood must have helped him in some way_, I guessed.

'Nothing. He forced me to drink his blood. And he had mine. But that's it.' I whispered, ashamed of myself.

'It wasn't your fault, I know that.' He whispered back, full of love, this tender emotion momentarily taking him away from the rage he felt towards Eric.

Bill stood up and was about to drag me out of the office and out of the bar but Eric stopped him.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' He simply said, his voice low and alert. I yanked back my head at him and searched his eyes. He winked at me, so fast I might have dreamt it. What now?

'And why wouldn't you do that?' Bill snarled, obviously making an attempt at sarcasm.

'There are about twenty werewolves in the area. All Russell's. And there's his bitch in the basement, though I doubt she'll be much trouble.' Eric replied, swiftly.

'Fly her home than!' Bill growled.

'Russell flies too. Wouldn't do any good. He's going to be here soon and I need you to behave, Compton. If you want Sookie to live, you'll obey.' Eric replied, all business like.

'She wouldn't be in any trouble had it not been for you, _Eric_.' Bill snapped, his anger seeping through his every pore.

'She was in trouble the moment you walked in her life, _Bill_.' Eric replied. 'Now I don't think is the right time for you to tell her what you must, but I can't wait for that moment to come.' Eric continued, referring to their discussion about Bill keeping something from me.

'I _AM_ here.' I reminded them, drawing both their possessive gazes to me. 'Now what's the plan, Eric?' I asked, ignoring Bill's pressing embrace as he tried to remove me from the office.

'Russell will be here any minute now. And you'll do as we have... discussed.' He said. 'I will assure that nothing bad happens to you.' He finished. I shrugged. _Ah well_, I thought, _everyone dies someday_. I wanted to live very dearly, but if I had to go down, I was glad I'd be doing it with Bill close by. And Eric. He exhaled an energy that urged me on to living. And I realised that I trusted him. I knew I shouldn't, but at that moment, I did. After all, his life was on the scale, just like mine.

'You made a deal with him?' Bill's face furrowed at the idea of me and Eric agreeing on anything at all. I was really not in the mood for anymore jealous behaviour. I just wanted my Bill, the loving, passionate Bill.

'Not exactly.' I answered truthfully. I grabbed Bill's cheeks and pulled him to my lips, kissing him with all my might.

'You taste of him.' He sneered, his nose wrinkling at the smell.

'I'm sorry for that. I'm sure you can make it go away...' I whispered, pulling him into me for another round of kisses. Eric cleared his throat and I looked over Bill's shoulder at him.

'If I'm to die tonight, I'll damn well kiss my _fiancé_ all I want.' I snapped at him, surprised at how dishevelled he looked by my kissing Bill in his face.

'No one will die tonight. No one that we don't already wish dead.' Bill assured me. His hands trailed down from my face to my waist and I whimpered, still in the mood for some tumble on the bed because of all the blood I'd taken from Eric.

Pam suddenly entered the room and looked at Eric with an intensity I did not quite notice until He stood and was standing right beside me and Bill.

'Sookie, come with me.' He simply said, grabbing my arm and dragging me out of the room whilst Pam remained with Bill.

'Where are you taking her?' Bill asked, his voice echoing on the walls of the corridor.

'None of your business, Compton. This is my turf. I do as I please.' Eric replied, shoving me into the employee room, locking the door behind us.

'If you insist on dying tonight, Sookie, than I'm afraid I'll have to have more than a kiss from you.' Eric growled, pushing me against the door.

'I am absolutely not in the mood for that, Eric. I think you've had quite plenty of _me_ for the time being.' I said, my voice strong. I really liked this new me, all kinky and kick-ass strong. Damn to hell old nervous Sookie, here I was, feeling like the Bionic Woman. I momentarily understood the appeal of V for other humans. 'And the trapping me against the wall is getting quite old don't you think?' I continued, shoving him away. Stepping towards the bathroom door, I walked in to stare at myself in the mirror. The effects of Eric's blood were incredible. My skin glowed in a way that made me forget whatever envy I had ever had towards models on magazine covers. Eric came in after me and stood behind me, dropping his hands to my hips, leaning over my left shoulder to level our faces. With him being so tall it was quite necessary.

'I like you like this. All brash and proud. Suits you very well.' Eric said, mindlessly fondling with a curl of my hair, his blue piercing eyes boring holes into mine in the mirror.

'What are you going to do about Bill?' I asked, letting my body relax against his. 'You know he will not tolerate any part of your goddamned plan, whatever it is you have in mind...' I said, surprised at my own accuracy.

'Let me deal with him, dear Sookie.' And just like that, he whooshed out of the room, leaving me startled and annoyed. I walked back into the bar since there wasn't much else I could do. If I tried to walk out, I'd get killed by nasty weres. Pam joined me at the bar and offered me a gin-and-tonic which I graciously accepted. Bill was the third to join us and he protectively sat right next to me, his chair just a tiny bit closer to the door than mine was. I wondered where Chow could have been and realised I just didn't care much. I might have felt strong, but my nerves were now getting the best of me as seconds stretched into minutes and minutes dragged on into an hour. It was now almost seven: the night was still young and yet, no trace of Russell. I was almost happy and turned to look at Eric who had just entered the room when a commotion at the door of the bar had me hide for cover. Bill and Eric both stood in front of me whilst Pam stood next to me, closest to the back door, ensuring us a backup plan if Russell decided to just barge in and kill everyone on sight. But the person who came it, or persons at there were a dozen of them, was a woman (vampire, I corrected myself) I had yet only seen on live television. She was head of the AVL, American Vampire League. She was tall, blond, thin as a twig, but she looked mean as a bull.

'Nan' Eric barked when she divided her heavily armed minions. I noticed that they all had weapons carved out of pure silver. I wondered how much each was worth individually. Probably more than my yearly income for the past 10 years...

'Mr. Northman, I would really like you to refer to me in a more respectful manner.' Nan barked, her voice imperative and slicing through the room like a warm knife through butter. Thinking about butter made me remember that I would need food quite soon.

'Your highness', Bill saluted, doing a little curtsy that almost made me laugh. Pam just bowed her head respectfully whilst Eric still stood is ground, his face impassive.

'And who is that... human?' Nan questioned, starring at me with little less than disgust. I stared at her and cocked my eyebrows, dying to hear how Bill and Eric were going present me to their leader. I noticed a man standing in a corner. He was quite the creepy type with a face that made Freddy and Jason look appealing. He had obviously suffered great damage in his human life and he looked really old, as if his looks and manners did not belong to this era. Well duh, I thought. He was a vampire, after all. He was looking at me with a lot more interest than my comfort permitted.

'She's mine.' Bill growled, answering Nan's question. Eric rolled his eyes, turning his head slightly so he could see me, out of the corners of his eyes.

'I'm Sookie Stackhouse' I said, my voice a lot stronger than I would have thought I could make it.

'Well, well, well. The troublesome little human.' Nan snarled, her fangs exposed. Obviously, the woman had heard from me (I almost felt proud that such a celebrity had heard of me), but she did not look one bit pleased by the fact I was still alive and causing more trouble, or so it seemed.

'I can explain.' Eric bellowed, gesturing for Nan to have a seat in the bar with him.

'That won't be necessary, Eric' Bill said, 'Sookie and I will be leaving now that you have... backup.' Bill concluded, grabbing my arm.

'I'm afraid I can't let you do that.' Nan snapped, eyeing Eric with suspicion.

'I'm afraid I can't let you either.' Eric added, grabbing my other arm and pulling me to his side.

'Wow, wow, wow!' I yelped. 'Why do you people think I will do anything you ask me to anytime you ask me to? I'm my own self and if I wish to leave, I will. If not, I won't. And currently, I'm not quite in the mood to be running for my life with werewolves after me, thank you very much.' I concluded, staring at Bill.

'She's right. As I told you before, you could hardly outrun them, especially if Russell is with them.' Eric said to Bill. That seemed to make sense to Bill and he slumped down on a stool near the bar, waiting for the outcome, but still alert enough to ensure my safety if Nan decided to go nuts and attack me.

'Well, Mr. Northman, we did smell lots of supes out there, but no Russell as far as I'm concerned' Nan said, displeased. 'I do hope you have a mighty good plan to take him out, sheriff, or there'll be hell for all of us. We cannot tolerate a vampire as old as him going nuts on live American television. His stunt, however impressive, cannot endanger all the advancement we've done in the matters of equal rights and status for the Vampires of America.' She concluded, all business-like.

'I understand, Madam,' Eric said, his voice as business-like as hers. She finally took the seat he was offering and he sat opposite her, staring at the old disgusting vampire as if he had just noticed him. The old one, however, was still looking at me, licking his lips. Could he really tell from that far that I smelt all fairy-like or was he simply intent on snacking on me?

'With all due respect, Madam, who is that?' Pam said, noticing the old vampire too.

'Oh, I see you've noticed Sir Arthur McAlister.' Nan almost smiled when she said the name. 'He will from now on serve the AVL as its new magister, since the other one has been... misplaced.' Nan concluded, giving Eric and Pam a long, meaningful look.

'Magis-what?' I interjected, puzzled.

All the vampires in the room simply rolled their eyes and ignored the question, but I felt Pam, Eric and Bill tense up in front of the decaying man. He took a step forward, his eyes never leaving me and, to everyone's utter surprise, he bowed in front of me.

'My dear' his deep voice rumbled, 'It is a pleasure to meet someone of such value as yourself.' He continued. Eric's eyes were almost jumping out of his face and Bill looked utterly sour at the mere suggestion that the magister's words seem to have.

'How-de-do' I said, curtsying because that was obviously the only thing that came to my mind. He as truly ugly, but I noticed his eyes stood out beautifully against the mess his face was.

'Charming' he commented, touching my chin to look at my face. I almost drew away from his touch but couldn't bring myself to it. I wasn't scared, strangely, even when he started sniffing me. His eyes closed in wonder and a smile spread on his face, his fangs poking out of his twisted lips.

'One eight fairy, if I'm not mistaken?' he asked me, as if that was something I should have been proud of. 'And she's yours, you say?' he continued, throwing a glance at Bill who was now standing, on his guard.

'She is.' Bill's voice boomed through the room.

'I am.' I echoed, feeling like my agreement to the statement was quite important at the time being.

'Pity.' The magister said, letting go of my chin. I stepped back and hid partly behind Bill, not wanting anymore of the attention I was currently receiving. 'I sure wouldn't mind a taste of fairy. It's been quite a few centuries since I've tasted one myself.' The magister said, smiling at me with genuine delight. _Weird and scary_.

'Why is the magister here?' Eric asked Nan, still sitting with her at the nearby table.

'Because I believe Mr Compton here is in some sort of... predicament that requires the Magister's ruling.' Nan said, snapping her head towards Bill who actually paled, if that was even possible for a vampire.

'What predicament?' Eric asked, curiously. 'As his sheriff, I am entitled to ask such a question...'

'I believe Mr Compton here has been conducting illegal business for the Queen of Louisiana.' Nan's high pitched voice concluded. And I realized just then that that wasn't good. Not good at all.


	6. When Hell Broke Loose

**Here my darlings, another chapter for today. I'm really inspired. Hope I can keep up with you! Hopefully you enjoy this! I thank you all for the comments, they make me all smily and giddy lolll If you have questions or critical advice, give it. I'm open to constructive criticism. I do remind you again that my first language is french. So please excuse the spelling or turn of phrases that might sound bizarre sometimes. I do try to do my best :)**

**Love you all! Have fun! I might post another chapter today or not. I intend on continuing this story into season 4, or what I believe should be season 4. I know that so far all has been written from Sookie's point of view and that might annoy some of you fans of the Jason, Tara, Hoyt, Jessica etcaetera fluff, but I find it personally time consuming and not all that important. They will however be part of my story once we're back in Bon Temps (ta-da of course Sookie's not gonna die to Russell's hands, otherwise what fun would this story be uh? :P)**

**Btw, Arthur McAlister is supposed to be akward and bizarre, just as the previous Magister was creepy and drawn to power and torturing of our poor vampires. McAlister is amused at just about anything in life, trying to find stuff to keep him out of the boredom he feels generally towards his function. That is why he finds Sookie so interesting because she changes him from his regular routine of V selling and bad vamps killing poor humans. If you find him out of character for a Magister, don't hesitate, give your opinion, I'll gladly try to see how I can make him more evil hahaha :)**

****

Have fun y'all! xoxoxo

P.S. As always, please review :) I LURVE IT :)

'That should be interesting' Eric mused, leaning back in his seat. 'Dirty little secrets you've got, Bill, huh?'

I gasped involuntarily, putting myself in front of Bill this time, feeling like he needed the protection. Of course, I was as useless as a moth between two lions and Bill knew it so he pushed me back behind him, ready to handle whatever mess he had coming his way.

'What business are you referring to, Magister?' Bill asked, his voice as impassive as it possibly could be.

'Businesses, to be more exact, Mr Compton' Nan sneered, leaving the rest of the information to be divulged by the creepy Arthur McAlister.

'Mr Compton, it seems the Queen of Louisiana and you have some sort of history, is that right?' The Magister said, drawing a little pad and pen from his pocket, the way any regular inspector would have done. Eric had moved closer to me, slipping out of his seat as discreetly as a 6'4'' blond Viking Vampire could do. Which was surprisingly quite discreet, I must give him that. I shuddered when his hand grabbed mine and he pulled me towards the empty chair next to his, whispering low so as to not disturb the scene happening in front of us.

'You can't do anything for him. Don't make a fuss and just _relax_. Save your strength and energy for something worth fighting for. Your life, for example.' He said.

_Or yours_, I completed mentally. But did I really wish to save his life? I couldn't help but realize that saving him was saving myself in a way, because with Eric out of the way, I couldn't think of a single person strong and powerful enough who would stand up to Russell to save me from the dour fate he surely had coming my way. And I had grown to be quite attached to the Viking, a weird sort of attachment. The kind you'd have for old sneakers you couldn't bear to throw away but did not appreciate that much either.

'It is right.' Bill replied, looking at me, his face contorted in some sort of displeasure or pain.

I stared at him blankly, not immediately noticing Eric's hand curled around my thigh. The pressure was weirdly soothing so I let him pet me. It actually felt exactly like a master petting his favourite puppy. I was the puppy. But boy did I have better things to think about right now than the fact that Eric Northman was petting me as if I was his. For example, what kind of business was Bill having with _the Queen_? I didn't even know we had Queens and Kings anymore! I guessed it was some vampire politics. Bloody Vampires.

'What kind of business? Just for the records of course, as I already know pretty much what there is to know about your case... Otherwise I wouldn't be here, wouldn't I?' The Magister actually snickered at that as if he had just pulled a really good joke on us. I opened my mouth as if I was going to ask something and so Eric pressed his fingers in my thigh, making me whimper. I put my hands on my mouth, eyeing him with distaste.

'What are you doing?' I mouthed to him. He simply slid his hand higher on my thigh. Luckily for me, the table we were sitting at was partially hiding my legs from the others' view. I looked at his face, he was grinning like an idiot. _What in heaven's sake was wrong with him_, I thought? The conversation before me distracted me from his current ministrations and I turned back to listen to Bill's answer. I was both nervous and anxious to figure out what exactly Bill had done to anger Nan and her minions as well as the Magister, which I guessed was some sort of high authority in the Vampire World, from what I could tell.

'A few decades ago, I used to be a provider for the Queen of Louisiana, until I decided I wanted out and was given back my freedom.' Bill said, his eyes darting from me to the Magister's looming figure.

'And what exactly did you provide the Queen?' The Magister continued, still taking notes. He was writing so fast it was hard for me to keep up with how many pages he had filled up in his annoyingly tiny notebook.

'Humans. Human companions. Special ones who could entertain her with their blood or talents.' Bill said, looking at the Magister this time, afraid of my reaction. I felt the colour leave my face. He had provided the Queen with snacks, is what this meant. Special snacks. What the hell was wrong with these creatures? Did they have any morality at all? _Of course not_, I answered myself when Eric started rubbing my thigh in a very pleasant and absolutely not appropriate manner.

To find out about Bill's secret past made me realize how very little I actually knew about him. He knew pretty much all there was to know about me and my life, but I only knew who is maker was, Lorena, whom I had staked. The rest was small talk we had had about our everyday life. Basically, very little about his past as a vampire.

'What would the Queen reward you with?' The Magister said, all-business like.

'Money. Lots of it. This was before all the taxation we have had to endure over the last two years. Back in the days where we were wealthy and did not lift a finger to obtain riches humans work decades to acquire.' Bill said, darkly.

'How exactly did this business of yours as Official Provider of the Queen work?' Nan asked, curious.

Pam was now standing behind me and she leaned in to whispered something in Swedish to Eric. He simply nodded and continued massaging my thigh, his hand now way too close to my groin for my comfort. I must have made a small whimper because Pam and Nan both looked my way quickly and turned back to the scene in front of the, a slight smile on their lips. Ah, right, lesbian Vampire humour. Eric just looked impassive though I could tell from his general emotional state that he was finding this situation to be both arousing and very amusing. I was not finding this amusing one bit. Arousing, sure, but it was hard to keep a cool head whenever he laid his hands on me, no matter how much I resented him for it.

'I was the best at glamouring and seducing the Queen's companions. I would find what she was looking for or knew she'd like, seduce them, man or woman, and bring them back to her. And she would keep them with her for some weeks, months, sometimes even years, as long as they could keep her amused. The first..._ companion_ I brought her actually stayed with her for most of her human life, though that life was cut short by her disobedience.' Bill said, looking shameful when he glanced at me.

I was quite horrified by what he was saying. My fiancé had spent years of his life taking hostage some poor fellows and bringing them to become slaves of a wrathful vampire's fancy. And he had never uttered a word to me about it. I felt anger rising from the pit of my stomach and to my throat. But Eric calming hand warned me to relax and keep it down. Ah right, the man could sense my emotions. But what I feared most now that he had had my blood was that I could also start sensing his. Right now he was calm and smug. And aroused. Very aroused. He glanced at me and smirked, his grin both inviting and seductive. I breathed deeply and tried to push away his hand. My fighting back seemed to enthral him even more into what he was doing. Typical Eric. He looked impassive and continued watching the exchange going on between the Magister and Bill. Bill was oblivious to what was happening under the table, something I found quite surprising since he usually was quite possessive of me. But at the moment, I understood quite well that he had other matters on his mind. The little guilt I might have felt at Eric's ministrations washed away from me when Bill continued explaining himself to the Magister.

'Why did you return to Bon Temps, Mister Compton?' The Magister suddenly asked. Bill looked abashed and looked at me, horror painted on his face. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been keeping.

Eric suddenly interjected, his hand leaving my thigh.

'I don't think Sookie needs to hear any of this just yet.' He said, looking at me for my approval. I was rather tempted to accept, fearing Bill's answer, but I decided I wanted to know the truth about the man I loved.

'Actually I want to.' I said, my voice quivering.

'Sookie.' Bill muttered, pained.

'I think she should know.' Pam said, reminding me of her presence. She pressed a hand to my shoulder, surprising me. It was like she wanted to give me comfort. Her touch was strangely reassuring. I looked at Eric and saw that he refused to glance my way. He put back his hand on my thigh and traced circular patterns on my jean with his thumb, soothingly.

'She should perhaps, since she's concerned.' Nan said, not even glancing my way. 'Now, no more interruption. You're dealing with the Magister here' she warningly reminded everyone. The soldiers, I noticed for the first time, were standing guard at the door, as if they expected someone to disrupt de trial taking place. It did feel like a trial. Bill's word against that of God knows who.

I wondered how I was concerned at all by Bill's past, but then, it dawned on me and I felt my throat contract. Bill wanted me for his Queen. I almost fainted at the idea and Eric must have sensed this because he grabbed me in a swift move and cradled me to his lap, holding me close to his chest.

'I didn't want you to find out this way.' He simply whispered to me, trying to calm me down.

Bill looked at us and understood that I knew what his purpose in Bon Temps had been. He looked back at the Magister and answered truthfully, since he knew any other answer would end up in torture.

'I came back to Bon Temps when Hadley, Sookie's cousin and the Queen's companion, informed the Queen that she had a rather special family member. The Queen had me sent to Bon Temps when my last descendent died and I was to live in his home not too far from that interesting human. And I was to seduce her and bring her to the Queen.' Bill said.

I stared at him in horror, tears welling up in my eyes. I jerked against Eric strong grip, trying to remove myself from his arms to go and rip Bill's eyes out. My anger couldn't outdo my pain however. I slumped back in his hold, nuzzling in the crook of his neck, suddenly happy for his closeness. I started sobbing silently. Everything had been a lie from the beginning. Bill's presence in Bon Temps, his love, his soft words, his seduction, his interest in me, everything. For God's sake, I had risked my life to save him. I had given up my virginity to him. I was both humiliated and pained, as if someone had just churned my insides with a hot poker. Eric felt it and although I could sense his smugness at the truth being finally out in the open, I could also sense his anger, towards Bill. His fist contracted in my hair. How ashamed I felt that all these vampires were watching me crumple as the pitiful creature I was to them.

'But I fell in love with that human.' Bill whispered, loud enough for me to hear him. 'I fell in love with her, still love her, and always will. I can't take back the pain I've caused her, but I wish I could.' He tried to advance towards me but a warning growl from Eric's throat that rippled through his chest made him stop in his track. I turned to look at him and gathered enough strength to say what I must.

'I never want to lay eyes on your face again.' I said. Bill stopped dead in his track and moved back. I had never seen a vampire losing it as he was losing it now. His hand was clenched at his chest as if I had just ripped his heart out. He didn't have a heart, I thought, pain searing at my insides once more. Eric gently kissed my forehead and I turned away from Bill, nuzzling deeper in Eric's embrace.

'Sookie, please understand. She's my _Queen_, I had to obey her. But I would have rather died than hand you over to her.' Bill said. And I believed him. But that changed nothing.'

'Now, now, enough with the human. There are other matters at hand, are there not, Magister?' Nan said, a bored look on her face.

'Aye, there are.' The Magister smirked. He then threw me an apologetic look. I was rather surprised by that since the man was an authority figure in the Vampire World. How troublesome could it be for him to grow fond of a part-fairy telepath freak like me? 'Mister Compton, it has come to our notice that you have kept some information you should have immediately reported to the League concerning some business the Queen was forcing Mr. Northman into. Illegal selling of the sacred blood. What do you have to say for your defence?' The Magister said, looking at Eric and then at Bill. Bill glanced at Eric in anger.

'What have you told them?' He asked Eric, his voice now filled with anger.

'Merely that you were threatening to turn me in and turn in the Queen on the matter of her selling her blood for profit. I must admit, Bill, given the choice to save your skin or mine, I much prefer mine.' Eric said. I glanced up at his face and he looked down at me, silently ordering me to keep calm for the moment.

'I'll explain later.' He whispered to me. I was overwhelmed with my anger and pain right now and did not mind waiting to figure out just how much had been kept from me.

'So you'd rather turn me in than solve this yourself? Is that what you're saying?' Bill asked.

'Oh, I did not turn you in. I merely answered the authorities' questions regarding the murder of Talbot. For which I had my own reasons that have nothing to do with our current predicament. And I never appreciated the Queen forcing me into anything. I do my duty and don't like to suffer her greed or let Pam endure it.' He replied, referring to something he and Pam only knew about since it did not ring any bells in the minds of the vampires here, judging from their blank slightly puzzled faces.

'There are other businesses left to discuss, Mister Compton. So if you would please all tune it down, we could perhaps get back to the matters at hand?' Arthur McAlister said an amused look on his face.

'There's more?' Bill questioned, puzzled.

'Well you have turned on your own kind to protect a Queen who has failed her duties. I hardly think this can go unpunished... What do you think, Nan?' The Magister continued. The fact he actually asked for her opinion seemed to surprise her.

'Well, Magister, it is not really my place to decide. I do believe Mister Compton has done wrong towards us and he should be punished. But I leave that decision to you.' Nan replied, annoyed.

'I believe Mister Compton should be banned from Louisiana for the time being. And he should turn in to us that collection he has been building.' Arthur McAlister said. I looked at him wondering what the hell he was talking about. _Collection? What Collection? Like stamps or rocks or ugly bugs?_

'You do know what I'm referring to, no doubt' The Magister said, looking at Bill with his ugly face contorted in what I suspected was a questioning look.

'My database...The one the Queen ordered me to do.' Bill replied.

'Precisely. I find that quite a smart idea, I must admit, building a database of all the existing Vampires with all the information you might find on them. Quite practical in your position as provider, no? Plus I'm sure some would pay a little fortune to own such a thing.' The Magister drawled, amused. Was he mad? I couldn't tell, but he found this whole situation, his role as Magister even, to be quite the entertainment.

Eric looked genuinely curious about that and he stared at Bill with a renewed interest.

'So what shall be my punishment?' Bill said, his voice strong and courageous.

'Well, first of all, we will silver you for a few weeks so you remember not to cross the authorities again. No food either. And then, you'll continue your work as if nothing had happened.' The Magister smirked. 'Minus the providing _Mademoiselle_ Telepath to the Queen of course...' he added. _So he knew what I was_, I thought. Eric's grip on me tightened and I couldn't help but feel his suspicion towards the new Magister.

'I would never hand her over to Sophie-Anne.' Bill replied. 'But what's the point in me continuing to work for her? Haven't you gathered enough evidence to deal with her?'

'Sadly, no. Against a Queen, the words of two of her subjects aren't quite sufficient. We will need _more_ than that and you'll provide it over time. However, once your punishment is carried out, we will ensure that you do not spend more time than necessary in Louisiana so that you don't end up spilling the beans. You'll head down to South America to complete your pretty work.' The Magister smirked. He was scary as hell.

'What about Sookie? The Queen will ask for her.' Bill muttered. My eyes widened at the idea: I had no intention of escaping Russell's hold to become Sophie-Anne's pet. I'd rather die than be prisoner to some crazy vampire Queen.

'Mr. Northman, as sheriff of the area, will see to it.' The Magister concluded. 'Unless the telepath would like to join me and receive the protection of the Vampire League?' He asked me, licking his lips at the thought. I must have looked completely disgusted because he smiled slightly before saying: 'I thought not.'

'Alright. So I believe everything is settled here' Nan concluded. Looking at her minions, she ordered them to take hold of Bill. Two of them stepped towards him with a silver chain to restrain him. I yelped involuntarily. I knew just how painful silver was to vampires and even though I despised Bill at the moment for his lies, I still felt love towards him.

'Please, don't hurt him.' I said, breaking loose from Eric's hold. 'Just ban him, but don't hurt him.' I begged, my voice croaky with emotion.

'Sookie, stay out of this.' Bill ordered me, a deflated smile on his face.

'I must bring something to your attention.' Eric suddenly said.

'What is it, Mr. Northman?' Nan sneered, blatantly bored with the Viking.

'What about Russell? Don't you intend to help? I must remind you that I accepted dealing with him, but the fact he went medieval on live television surely has convinced you of his madness?' Eric replied.

'Indeed, Mr. Northman. I do hope your plan is good and does not require much of help on our part. We don't have time to deal with personal vendettas, but Russell is now a wanted vampire. He endangered by his acts the whole of our specie. With our relations with human bringing us on the brink of a war, we cannot tolerate such act of violence against humans.' Nan explained. 'What exactly did you have in mind?'

Eric was about to answer, but suddenly, all hell broke loose as the door of the bar was kicked in and a dozen of weres barged in, snarling. _Sweet Jesus, Shepherd of Judea_, I thought.


	7. House of the Rising Sun

**Thank you so much all of you for the feedback! I wanted to mention that I try to stick as much to the TB events as I can, but I do have to create sometimes, hence the tiny differences. I hope this doesn't bother you awesome readers! I love all your reviews and I love ending the chapters with a cliffhanger. I will try and update as soon as I'm done writing chapter 8. I won't make you guys wait if I don't have too, but I do love the reviews :)**

**If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate, I love answering them :) **

**Love you all! Have fun :) xoxo**

Eric immediately jumped in front of me and I ran behind the bar for cover, Pam by my side. The guards let go of Bill to fight off the Weres who were, just like Vampires, rather allergic to silver. Nan and the Magister were in fighting mode and they kicked a few asses before the calm came back. The attack had been sudden and I peeked over the bar to see why everyone had stopped. What I saw froze me in horror. At the door of the bar stood Russell, in all his glory, his face contorted in anger.

'Hush, my darlings.' He muttered to the weres which retreated towards him, some of them injured by Eric's wrath. _The Viking was a good fighter and did not like his things being endangered_, I thought. Russell looked at him with a puzzling look.

'Why did you murder him?' He asked Eric, out of the blue, sadness in his eyes along with hatred and disgust.

'A long time ago' Eric started 'You and your dogs murdered a human family. _Mine_.' Eric snarled, anger seeping through his every pore. 'I was the only survivor, left to mourn my family. Felt only right to take yours away from you. Hence Talbot being a pile of scum on your office's carpet.' Eric growled, provoking Russell. Somehow, I felt that was the worst thing he could have said to a crazy man, but Russell didn't jump at his throat. He just glared at him with fury.

'I see you have company.' He simply said, looking at my curious face over the bar. His eyes froze me in place and I shuddered in horror.

'I was going to share, if you would. She's part fairy.' Eric said tentatively. Eric looked over at Nan and the Magister with a meaningful gaze. They got the point and retreated to his office with their minions, leaving Bill, Eric, Pam and I alone with the werewolves and Russell, whom, surprised by Eric's words, ordered his werewolves outside. They snarled at us as they exited the place. I looked over at the clock on the wall and noticed it was quite late at night. Time had passed by really quickly with all the events of the night. The sun would be up in another hour or two.

Bill stepped closer to me, still protective of my person and glared at Eric. He had no idea what Eric intended to do with me but the idea of my being shared between Russell and him did not please him one bit. I can't say it pleased me either, but I knew by now that Eric never did anything without cause and I let myself trust him.

'Part fairy or not, I do not wish to feed on her.' Russell barked, his eyes red from tears he had wept for his Talbot. However touching I had once found Bill or Eric's tears, Russell's only made me want to retch. The man disgusted me so much. He had held and tortured Bill through Lorena for days and hadn't even minded it. And he had murdered in cold blood Eric's entire family.

'I would think any vampire would like to walk freely in the sun. How long has it been since you've last seen it?' Eric said, his voice seductive and warm. He took a step towards Russell and actually bowed to him. Russell was surprised both by the turn of events and the submission of the grand Viking he seemed to find quite attractive. _Who wouldn't_, I pondered, eyeing his strong muscular frame. My survival instinct had seemingly pushed very far from my mind the pain cause by Bill's treason for the moment being, but I had a numb feeling in my gut that I was sure as hell was going to break loose the moment my life wouldn't be at stake anymore.

'Please explain.' Russell hissed at Eric. 'And be convincing, otherwise I'll snack on your fairy once I'm done tearing you all limb from limb.' I believed him. He was crazy enough for that.

'Mr Compton here drank from her. Not much, just a bit. And he was able to walk in the sun. It's her fairy blood. The effects last a few minutes or so. Would you accept me as your companion in place of Talbot if we went to meet the sun together? I sure have missed it myself over the last ten centuries. I will swear allegiance to you and you shall get part of my Area's wealth. Afterall, you are Sophie-Anne's husband.' Eric quickly said.

He was lying. Bill had almost drained me and he had been able to remain in the sun only a few instants. I immediately understood Eric's plan and couldn't help but feel pride towards him. He must have sensed it because he turned to wink at me, in such a swift move that I might have imagined it. I was quite afraid at the prospect of letting Russell drink from me, but at the same time, I knew that it was the only way to weaken him enough for Eric to take him down.

I suddenly decided to open my mind and listen for any human or were thoughts in the area, to ensure that Russell's wolves were at bay. They were planted in the nearby forest, waiting for their time. I suddenly sensed another presence, not downstairs, where Debbie was currently swearing in her mind at the fact I was still alive and she was restrained, but a mind I knew. A few minds I knew, actually. Alcide. He was close by and accompanied by a few of his fellow werewolves. I didn't understand why but I felt like his presence would be welcomed. I was also glad that he was here. I had grown fond of the virile yet tender man.

'Is that true, Mr Compton?' Russell drawled, amazed at the prospect of walking in the sun. I could understand his joy, for I, myself, loved the feeling of the sun on my skin and could hardly picture a world of darkness that stretched on centuries and centuries.

Bill did not hesitate a moment, which I was thankful for. He understood Eric's plan now and was complying with it, however angered he was by the prospect of Russell drinking from me.

'It is.' He simply said. 'I drank a few gulps of her blood and was thrown out of a truck in broad daylight after I... left your manor. I was able to walk freely for a few minutes before I had to dig myself up for the day. I am quite young, in comparison to you, my lord.' Bill reminded him, implying that surely, Russell wouldn't need as much blood as Bill had had.

Russell smirked evilly. He was easily tricked by flattery I noticed, which could only be good for Eric who was master in the art of seduction.

'Master' Eric said, his gaze adoringly (ha!) staring at Russell's face. 'Will you forgive my killing of Talbot if I walk with you in the sun?' he asked. 'I would belong to you for as long as you wish me to.' Eric added.

Russell seemed to ponder the thought a few instants before he accepted. I had no idea if he intended to murder Eric the moment he'd own him, but at the moment, I couldn't let ifs get in the way.

'If you go out first. I can't seem to bring myself to trust you, Mr. Northman.' Russell growled.

'But of course, your Majesty. It was always my intention to show you the wonders of that human's blood first so you'd get to enjoy it too.' Eric said, his voice velvety. I couldn't guess what Nan and her minions were doing in Eric's office and didn't give a damn. They were there to help us if something didn't go as smoothly as things had been so far.

'But what of the human? Will I get to keep her?' Russell asked, eyeing Bill with suspicion. 'Is she not _yours_?' He teased Bill, his voice icy. Russell actually giggled at that as if it was very funny to imagine me and Bill as a couple.

'She'll be yours all you want.' Eric whispered, a smile on his face. 'But might I suggest you don't drain her just yet. The girl is a telepath, as you know. And her blood is simply delicious. I tasted her myself to ensure Mister Compton was not trying to trick us. I also gave her my blood to ensure her obedience' Eric completed.

Okay, so we were covered on every possible ground. Except I couldn't look willing. Otherwise, Russell would be suspicious. Since I wasn't actually willing to donate him a single drop of my blood, my look of horror and disgust was genuine, but the fear I had to fake. Sure, I was afraid of the man, but I trusted Bill and Eric to keep harm away from me.

'Interesting. Does she really taste that good?' Russell wondered out loud, inhaling my smell from across the room. His nostrils twitched in a pleased manner.

'She's the best blood I've ever had' Eric whispered seductively, glancing over his shoulder to look at me, the compliment obviously intended for me just as much as it was for Russell's purpose.

'How do I know I can trust you?' Russell muttered, his eyes cold and calculating.

'Because I desire her and am willing to give her up to you. To make amends. I took Talbot, you get Sookie _and _me.' Eric said. I suddenly shuddered all over and walked out of my hidey-hole. Pam hadn't move since the beginning of the conversation and seemed ready to pounce at any moment to defend her Master if Russell turned on us. Eric stood to wrap his arms around my waist and he carried me to a couch. He intently stared at my eyes and I understood he was pretending to glamour me for the benefit of Russell, whom, luckily for us, had no idea I wasn't glamourable (if such a word existed in the vampire's vocabulary).

'You will allow us to drink from you because you really wish to please us.' He whispered to me. For once I wished I could be glamoured because I knew it wouldn't be fun to have two vampires sipping at me as if I was some gourmet wine. I could sense Eric's arousal at the prospect of drinking from me again. I found it rather dishevelling right now since we were walking a very thin line. His eyes were glazed with lust and I swallowed hard, playing my part. I lay back on the cushions, turning my head away from him, offering my throat. I could hear Bill growling and wished he was restrained at the moment.

'Please be gentle' I whispered to him as Russell approached us.

'Always' He replied, grinning.

'Where do you wish to drink, My Liege?' Eric asked Russell, as if he was offering a seat at a dinner table.

'I don't like women much. I'll have her wrist.' Russell said, sitting near me, roughly taking my limp arm to his mouth.

'I'll have her neck, then' Eric whispered, slipping his hand up my throat to cup my chin, his touch tender and yet lustful. Had I not been that afraid, I might have actually enjoyed his caress, but at the moment, it left me gasping for air, but not for the right reasons. When they bit down, both at the same time, I thought I was going to hurl from the pain. Whilst Eric was quite gentle with me, licking my skin in an almost erotic way to make this as pleasant as he could for me, Russell was just having yet another snack and he was quite enjoying it. Having blood drawn from me from two different places at the same time was leaving me quite helpless. I felt weak and could almost hear my heartbeat slowing down, life receding from me. Luckily, the blood Eric had given me earlier kept me conscious long enough to feel Russell remove my torn wrist from his mouth, licking his lips with a groan whilst Eric planted a wet kiss on my bloodied throat before licking my wounds to close them. I could feel his arousal through the muted groans he made whilst kissing my throat.

'She tastes delicious, Mr Compton. I admire your taste.' Russell growled, enjoying the fact he could tease Bill. Bill was holding on to a chair, his joints pale from the restraint he was having over himself to not lunge at Russell to kill him. I closed my eyes then, needing the rest. The sun would rise very soon, I could have sworn. I could still feel Alcide and his friends' presence but Russell's weres seemed to have retreated, for what and why, I couldn't tell. I could still hear Bill's growls of anger. Once Russell moved away from me, Nan and the Magister entered the room, their respective footfalls quite different, Whilst Nan's heels made a slight ticking sound when they hit the ground, the Magister's was a heavy, tired slump. I peaked at them through my heavy lids. I was feeling quite mushy and tired at the moment but I needed to know what was happening.

'Magister, Nanny' Russell whispered, grinning. 'We can discuss the politics later. Right now I wish for my companion and I to go walk in the sun. If you both behave, I might let you have a sip of my new toy' He said, his voice full of contempt. The man obviously was out of his mind if he believed there wasn't going to be any retribution for his acts.

'We don't care for your toy' Nan said, her voice icy as ever. 'We must conduct some business with Mr Compton at the moment. Silver him.' She ordered her minions who strolled out of the office. They circled Bill and sat him on a chair forcefully.

'Let me feed her or she'll die!' Bill growled at Nan and the Magister, trying to make a move towards me.

'You are under arrest Mister Compton and in no position at the moment to make demands.' The Magister snarled. McAlister was definitely a bizarre vampire.

'I'll feed her. As soon as I'm back.' Eric promised Bill, a proposition that made Bill's temper flare.

'Don't you dare! She's still mine!' Bill growled.

'Oh I do believe she now is mine, Mister Compton.' Russell said with disdain. 'And as I hate sharing my blood, I'll let my companion do it for me after our stroll in the sun.'

I suddenly caught a thought from Alcide's mind. Silver. Lots of it. And gloves on his hands. These thoughts were a bunch of nonsense to me right now. I drifted into unconsciousness as I heard Bill, Nan, Pam and the Magister, as well as Nan's minions retreat away from the door whilst Eric stepped towards it.

He was going to meet the rising sun.


	8. Bad Romance, Crash or Burn

**Long chapter ahead, folks! I can't believe I've posted 4 of them today! Lol I thought I'd give you a short playlist of the music I listen to when I write these chapters, if any of you were looking for some beat :) Here it goes!**

**Fresh Blood - The Eels (dahhhh :P obviously)**

**I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton (Am I the only one to wish this song ended an actual episode of TB with a smug looking Sookie kicking (with much love) Eric's sorry butt? hahaha)**

**Everything is Broken - Bob Dylan (I love the actual TB soundtrack!)**

**Avalanche - Leonard Cohen**

**Where is my mind? - The Pixies **

**Hospital Beds - Cold War Kids**

**Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman**

**Teeth - Lady Gaga (Oh, the irony :D)**

**Get Down - E-train**

**Timebomb - Beck (Again, love the TB soundtrack very dearly!)**

**Hunting Roger Rabbit - Entrepreneurs **

**ETC. Am a big music fan, I listen to pretty much anything depending on my mood! If you have suggestions or want some more ideas, you tell me :) I read all the comments and even if I don't reply personnally to every single one, I try my best to answer everyone's question in my author's note so that everyone gets the pertinent infos :) **

**HUGS AND KISSES :) I love you all that much! PLEASE REVIEW :)**

I awoke a decade later, it seemed to me. The fact that the figure looming over me was a were, from what I could judge by his brain wave, scared me at first. But I was reassured when I read the werewolf's thoughts. Alcide.

My eyes fluttered, adjusting to the ambient lighting. I realised I had been moved from the bar to the employee room. On the floor, near me, leaning over me was Alcide. He smiled when he saw my eyes open and spoke to a person behind me. I didn't make out his words as the entire room seemed to buzz around me. I opened my mouth to speak and only mouthed the word: 'Water.' Alcide understood and grabbed a bottle lying close to me on the ground and lifted my head, drawing the bottle to my dried out lips. I drank long and deep, feeling like a woman saved from the desert.

'Bill and Eric? And Pam?' I whispered, my voice hoarse.

'Bill's with the Magister and Nan. They left when the sun went down. Pam is over there, drinking True Blood.' Alcide informed me, wrinkling his nose at the thought of a bottle of True Blood. I had been out of it for almost an entire day. I however felt much better now after hours of sleep.

'And Eric?' I whispered once more.

Alcide gave me a meaningful look before he moved out of my sight to allow me to see another person resting on the second couch. Eric was lying on his back, half of his face burnt. He looked in pain and seemed weak for the first time since I'd met him. His arms were burnt too and he had many wounds on his bare chest. Pam was attending to him, drinking True Blood and giving him some. But he needed real blood, human blood. I could tell from his state that his wounds would take long to cure otherwise. I lifted myself up on my elbow, feeling my head spin. If Eric was here and all of them were alive, it could only mean that Russell had been defeated. I gave Alcide a questioning look as Pam leaned close to Eric to whisper something in his ear. It seemed to please him for his lips curled in a semblance of a smile.

'Eric asked me one last favour. To come and help take down Russell since he feared he wouldn't hold on long enough in the sun to do so himself.' He swiftly explained me. 'We threw silver nets on Russell the moment he stepped outside and restrained him. He was strong but with Eric's help we were able to hold him long enough for the sun to burn him completely. He won't be bothering you ever again.' Alcide said, a hint of a smile on his face.

'And Eric? How bad is he hurt?' I whispered, feeling groggy. It was as if I had just awoken from a long dentist's appointment. My wrist hurt badly whilst my neck gave me just a gentle throbbing.

'He'll heal. It will take time since he got badly burnt both from the sun and restraining Russell in the silver chains, but he'll heal.' Pam answered me. She looked almost happy, for the first time in a long time.

'Can I do anything at all?' I asked, hopeful. My energy was coming back slowly, like a warm glow spreading through my stiff limbs.

'Not for now. You're too weak, right now. But your blood might help him heal, if you'd give him some willingly.' Pam continued. Alcide winced at the idea.

'I'll get going if you don't need me anymore, Sookie.' Alcide said to me. 'I have to take Debbie home to her kind so we can punish her the way she deserves.'

'What about Russell's wolves?' I asked, nervously.

'We'll deal with them in due time.' Alcide assured me before walking out.

I looked again at Eric. He whispered something in Swedish to Pam and she exited the room without further ado. I laid on my side, looking at Eric's profile. He was still lying on his back. His face, though badly burnt, still had its strong manliness and he looked beautiful even like that. His voice almost surprised me when he spoke to me.

'You feeling okay? I'm afraid Russell always was a greedy bastard.' He said, his voice low. I giggled at his comment.

'I'm alright. A bit weak. And I wish I was home with Tara and Jason and Sam and even Jessica. But I'm alright. Thanks to you.' I said, a slight smile on my lips.

'I didn't do much. And it what I did wouldn't have worked without your help. Thank you for trusting me, Sookie.' He replied, turning his head slowly to look at me. His eyes were still beautiful and I could see the skin was beginning to heal, slowly and painfully. He took in the image of my face and body and I noticed for the first time I was not wearing the jeans or top anymore. I was only wearing Yvetta's lacy underwear and a thick blanket had been dropped on me. It wasn't covering much at the moment and I pulled it up, very conscious of his eyes on my body.

'You're welcome, I guess.' I said, easing myself on my elbow. I must have looked like a mess right now, but he didn't look his best either so I didn't mind. 'How are you feeling?' I returned the question.

'I have been better. But I will take a while to heal. I got to see the sun for the first time in a millennium. And I got to see Russell burn to shreds. Both worth the pain. I would be better if I could have some human blood. But I detest Yvetta's.' He said, plumping his head on his folded arm. His biceps bulged and his skin looked better with each passing minute.

'I could give you some of mine' I tried, 'But Pam says I'm too weak at the moment.'

'You are. I appreciate the offer but I won't weaken you more. Actually you're the one who needs the most blood right now. Do you want some of mine?' he offered, a slight grin on his pained face.

'Don't you need it to heal?' I asked, curiously.

'I can spare a few drops on you.' He whispered. I crawled off my sofa and approached him, kneeling next to him. I left my blanket in its place, not really caring if he saw me in my underwear. He lifted a hand and caressed my hair.

'How long have you known Bill was using me?' I asked, my voice uneasy.

'Not long. I figured out his purpose when Hadley told me what you were. I knew that Sophie-Anne was fond of special humans and it all added up in my mind.' He said, twirling my curls around his strong fingers. I noticed for the first time the damage to his palms, surely from where he had held the nets over Russell. His palms were deeply scarred. I took his hand and without thinking, brought it to my lips, kissing at the scars. He groaned and closed his eyes, enjoying my mouth on his seared skin. I did not realise I was crying until he passed his under thumb gently on my cheek, and then bringing it to his lips. He lifted his head with a grunt and pulled me towards him.

'Why are you crying?' He whispered, caressing my cheek and passing his thumb on my lips.

'Isn't it obvious?' I croaked, my breath catching in my throat.

'I despise Bill for hurting you, Sookie.' Eric purred, lifting my chin so our eyes would meet. I sniffed loudly, ashamed of looking so weak in front of him. 'He is blind if he doesn't realise he'll never be worthy of you. You're strong and beautiful and one day, you'll be mine.' He concluded, sealing the deal with the softest kiss on my lips. I pulled back, looking at his burnt face. Even like this he was beautiful, a strange, dangerous beauty.

'What did you mean when you said Sophie-Anne's greed had hurt Pam?' I asked, cocking my head to one side, questioningly.

'The previous Magister, the one that Russell killed, tortured Pam to get me to turn in the Queen or Bill.' Eric explained. I mindlessly caressed his bare chest, my fingers fluttering over his injuries. He hissed when I touched a particularly deep scar that went from his collarbone to his jean band.

'How did this happen?' I whispered, afraid.

'Russell had a silver knife. He fought back.' Eric said, his hand twisted in my hair at the nape of my neck. His touch could still make me shudder, even after having lost so much blood.

'Why can I feel what you feel?' I asked, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

'Because I've had your blood. A little part of you is in me.' He explained, slowly. 'And I can feel what you feel, because you've had my blood.'

'I don't like that. It's like sharing my thoughts with someone.' I muttered, pouting like a child.

'You who reads people's mind are afraid of sharing your emotions?' He asked, genuinely surprised.

'I like vampires, I don't have to keep my shields up with them. I simply can't hear anything. Very relaxing compared to the buzz of annoying thoughts I hear every single day at Merlotte's.' I replied, grinning a bit.

'I like you.' He simply said, making me smile some more.

'Why does the bond make me attracted to you?' I asked. This time, Eric laughed.

'I truly have no idea, Sookie. I just know it does. In some ways, but not in all.'

'Why are you attracted to me? You must have had thousands of women throughout your life. Why me? I'm not the prettiest, the smartest. I'm just plain ol' Sookie, the crazy telepath.' I giggled, drying the remaining of my tears.

'You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.' He said, his eyes devouring my face. He pulled me in for another kiss, this one long and fiery. I didn't feel any shame in kissing him. He was an extraordinary kisser. I traced the tip of his fangs with my tongue and he hissed.

'If you do this again I'm afraid I'll have to have you on this couch.' Eric whispered against my lips when we finally broke apart. Our faces were an inch apart and his vulnerability made him even more touching.

'Whatever you say.' I said, standing up slowly to go back to my couch. He roughly pulled me on top of him and I landed on him. I tried to remove myself, afraid I would hurt him more than he already was but he drew my lips to his and kissed me with all his might. It felt as though he was sucking the life out of me. I panted when he let my lips go for a second and nibbled at his bottom lip. I moved a bit, my hips clinging to his and he winced in pain.

'Oh my god. I'm so sorry.' I muttered, slipping out of his embrace. He breathed heavily and stared at me with a puzzled look.

'Why did you stop?' he said, trying to draw me back to him.

'This is wrong. I don't want improvised sex with you, Eric.' I replied, my arousal saying otherwise.

'Improvised sex?' he replied, grinning. 'That's not exactly what I had in mind. I was more in the mood to fuck you breathless.'

I gasped at his words. The man was so blunt sometimes. Even in the state he was in, he still wanted to have sex.

'You are so blunt!' I yelped, sitting back on my couch, wrapping myself in my blanket. At least, he had taken my mind off the big hole left by Bill's treason and departure. I suddenly felt terribly homesick.

'Can I please go home?' I asked him.

'Anytime you wish to go, you may go, Sookie. I can ask Pam to drive you. But I would like you to have some of my blood before you go. You look awfully pale.' He said. His left cheek was almost fully healed by now. I took the bottle of True Blood Pam had left on the table and brought it to him. He drank a long gulp of it, sitting on the couch so it would be easier to give me his blood.

'Doesn't my drinking your blood make the bond stronger?' I asked.

'It does. But you need it now. Russell drank more than he should have. Your heartbeat is rather low.' He answered. Biting his wrist, he gestured for me to sit between his legs as we had done what now felt like weeks before but was just the previous evening. I sat, reluctantly and took his wrist to my mouth. I liked the taste of his blood. It was creepy in a human kind of way to appreciate the taste of blood, but his tasted like dessert. His other arm snaked around my stomach and his hand wrapped around my throat, feeling my pulse quicken as the blood slid down my greedy throat. The more I sucked at his wrist, the tighter his hold on me was. He was almost purring like a content cat. He finally let me go and I didn't dare turn back to look at him. I simply grabbed the blanket and wrapped myself into it.

'Pam!' he called, his voice now strong and commanding.

'No need to yell, Eric.' Pam muttered, entering the room by the door through which she had gone earlier.

'Take Sookie home. At her brother's. Her house is still a mess, she can't stay there. Make sure the surroundings are safe.' Turning to me, he smiled and said: 'Farewell, Miss Stackhouse. I'll be seeing you very soon. And thank you for your help.' I found it took him a lot of humility on his part to actually thank me, a mere human. I was touched by that more than I would have expected and soon enough, I was weeping like a child. Pam hushed me out of the room and gave me one of Eric's shirts to wrap myself into. She also handed me my shorts, the one I had arrived in. At some point during the recent events, someone had had time to clean then and dry them. My t-shirt, however, was nowhere to be seen. I thanked her and pull the clothes on, ready to sleep for the next decade, my heart aching in ways it had never before.

The drive home was gloomy. Pam wasn't in the mood for girl talk, nor was I. She simply patted me awkwardly on the shoulder when we arrived at Jason's. I then realised I didn't have my purse with me, but out of the blue, Pam grabbed it from the backseat and handed it to me. I took it and hurried towards the house. Jason was on the porch, waiting for me. Tara was nowhere to be seen. I guessed someone had called him in advance to tell him of the recent events because he didn't ask a single question and just hugged me tight. He hushed me inside and as I turned to say goodbye to Pam, she simply said:

'It reeks of werepanther here.'

I looked at her, my eyes wide as plates and gave her my fabulous Crazy Sookie smile before I closed the door of Jason's house. After a good bath and a goodnight kiss to Jason whom I would have a long talk with in the morning, I plumped myself into bed in Eric's shirt and slept a dreamless sleep.

When I woke up the next day I was quite puzzled at first as to where I was. I recognized the flowered wallpaper from my room as a child and realised I was at Jason's.

And then the pain came like a tsunami. I was drowning and burning at the same time. I started sobbing uncontrollably. Bill was gone. He wouldn't be back for a long time. He had betrayed me. But I couldn't very well tear the love I had for him out of me just like that. It wasn't a band aid case. Forgetting our time together would take a long, long time, if I could ever bring myself to forget. When I had calmed down a bit, I went to the bathroom to take another shower. When I was clean and well, I went to my purse and looked for my cell phone. Luckily, I still had battery. And a dozen messages from a worried Sam and an angry Tara. Just my luck, I thought. How I wished I could fast forward until all the explaining and excuses were done with. I needed coffee badly so I went into the kitchen. There was a note for me on the table, from Jason.

_Gone to work. Be back at 5 p.m._

_Love ya,_

_Jason_

I felt grateful for the alone time, but needed badly to talk to him about the Eggs case. From Tara's message, I understood that he had told her the truth and I was now scared she might do something stupid that would put both Jason and Andy in big, big trouble. I just had so much to deal with right now, starting with the renovation of Gran's house which was in a pitiful state since Maryann's crazed orgies and the werewolves' attack. I gave Sam a call.

'Hey Sam, it's Sookie.' I said.

'Jesus Christ! Sookie! Where the hell have you been?' He almost yapped. He also sounded quite relieved.

'Long story. I really don't feel like telling you on the phone. When can I come back to work?'

'How about tomorrow? You up for the night shift?' He replied, understanding that this was not the time to be curious.

'Yeah, that'd be great. Thank you Sam. I really appreciate it.' I said before disconnecting. Next, I fixed myself the biggest breakfast I had had in years and decided to go back to my place for some clothes. If I was to stay some more at Jason's, I'd need more than a vampire's shirt and a pair of jean shorts. I realised my car was still in the Fangtasia parking lot, but, when I looked outside, it was sitting there in the driveway. I looked in my purse for my keys and found a note attached to them.

_My dearest,_

_Thank you for everything. _

_I had someone drive your car back to your brother's house. _

_If you need anything at all, call me._

_Come and see me at Fangtasia when you wish._

_E._

I was glad my car was back and I rejoiced at the familiar feeling of sitting in its small interior. I drove down Hummingbird Road to my house and was very surprised to see builders' trucks literally everywhere. The driveway had been paved during my absence and the men were now working at cleaning the whole place and replacing whatever had been broken. I strode towards one of them, gesticulating.

'What in heaven's sake are you all doing!' I snapped at the man.

'What we're paid for, M'am.' He answered, puzzled. 'Putting the place back in order and renovating everything that needs renovating.'

'You must have the wrong house! This is my house!' I replied, accusingly.

'You are Miss Stackhouse, then?' The man asked.

'Yep, that's me!' I snapped, my hands on my hips.

'Jimmy, come here!' the man called another one over. The man called Jimmy took an envelope from his pocket when the first man explained who I was.

'If you're Miss Stackhouse, I'm supposed to be giving you this.' He handed me the envelope. In it was a check for 10,000$ and three words: _Take care. Eric._ I started breathing heavily and walked like a robot towards my car where I sat, starring at the workers who had gone back to doing whatever it was they were doing previous to my arrival. I took my cell phone out and dialled Eric's. I knew he was out for the day but I wished to thank him and tell him how ridiculous he was being at spending so much over me. I finished my message with a hushed thank you and laid my head on the steering wheel. The man was completely _nuts_. I crawled out of my car once more and walked up to the famous Jimmy.

'How much is all this costing? I could write you a check for half now and the rest later.' I blurted out, nervous.

'We were told not to tell you that. Mr Northman has already paid in full for all the repairs, M'am. We should be done in a few days. Till then, you may come and go as you wish, but the house isn't yet fit to be inhabited.' He replied. _Of course_.

'What about my things?' I asked, suddenly scared that my Gran's furniture would be gone.

'All was put back in order and repaired. Mr Northman insisted on us not disturbing anything that did not need to be.'

I almost started crying there.

'Thank you, thank you.' I muttered before slipping through the door. The house was looking better than it had in a whole decade. Men were currently working on replacing all the doors that had been damaged whilst others took care of the many windows that Maryann's madness had destroyed. I went straight to my bedroom. The work there was already done and I had a new bedspread as well as a pair of beautiful lamps to replace the ones that had been destroyed during my fight with Debbie Pelt. I also had new curtains to replace the ones that had been sprayed by her blood. The ensemble was beautiful and tasty, very feminine, very much to my liking.

I silently thanked Eric's generosity and bank account, for the stuff he had gotten me wasn't cheap at all. I took a bag from my wardrobe and filled it with clean clothes, my pyjamas and bathing suit, my Merlotte's uniform and my necessary products from the bathroom. Out the door I went and back in my small car. I thought about driving over to Bill's to leave a note for Jessica, but I decided it would be better to explain everything to her in person. I couldn't help but feel worried for her, with her being so young and inexperienced, I found it rather cruel to inform her that her maker wouldn't be coming back to her anytime soon. I drove back to Jason's place and decided I would rest for the time being. I took out one of the chairs on the lawn and put on my bathing suit to soak up some sun. I tanned the rest of the afternoon, going in just to have a quick lunch. I gave Tara a call but I only got her voicemail. I left her a short message telling her that I was alright and to call me back when she got a minute. I then relaxed back in my chaise, taking in as much sun as I could. It felt wonderful to be alive and in one piece. Every minute or two I'd think about Bill and feel a lump form in my throat, but I tried to think about something else. I still had the menace of Sophie-Anne hanging over my head, but I decided to be optimistic about the future. I was alive and that was all that counted for now.


	9. Can Anyone Blame me

**Hello my beautifuls! Almost 100 reviews! I seriously can't believe it! I mean I've read many many fics which received great review because they were simply amazing, but I did not think for a second that I'd get any of that attention! I'm all smiles :) I thank you so much for review that much! I do my best to update as fast as I can so that I don't leave you guys with huge cliffies :P I do love a good cliffie though muhahaha (evil me:P)**

**Hope you enjoy this! Here are a few more songs to listen to whilst reading this chapter (it is a bit slower than the other ones and I want you guys to see it as the introduction of Season 4, basically a transition between the Season 3 events and what I believe the 4th season should give us :)!) Review, review, review! You guys are the best :)!**

**You're Gonna Miss Me - 13th Floor Elevators**

**Juicy - Emily Wells (Notorious B.I.G. Cover)**

**Take a Bow - Muse**

**We Share Our Mother's Health - The Knife (the Ratatat Remix is great)**

**Paradise Circus - Massive Attack**

**Is Anybody Home? - Our Lady Peace**

**Love Me Or Leave Me - Nina Simone **

**(Yeah I know, wicked choices, bizarre beats! But heck, I like all of these songs :) Hope you enjoy them! If you have suggestions give them to me, I love discovering new music :))!**

Two weeks had passed since I had returned home and not much had happened. Jason was very secretive about something I did not know about, going out at night and coming back at the wee hours of morning. For all I knew, he was probably dating a vampire. I was in a sort of trance, going through my everyday routine with a boredom I hadn't felt for years. I'd wake up, eat breakfast, relax with a book in the sun, go to work, come back from work, sleep, and the next morning it all started all over again. The repairs at my house were now completed and I had moved back in the day before. The house looked stunning and I was amazed at many little details Eric had put into making my house a comfortable place to live. He had even ordered me a shelf full of books, all different kinds, all very interesting. I was touched more than I would admit myself at his attentions. I hadn't seen him since the Fangtasia events, only spoken to him on the phone.

I was making coffee when Tara arrived in her car, a deep frown on her face.

'Sookie.' She called once she was on my porch. I gestured for her to come in through the screen door. She plumped down in a seat across from my usual one.

'Hey Tara, how you doing?' I asked her, pleased to see her. I had been afraid she'd do something stupid once she discovered that Jason had been the one with the gun and not Andy when Eggs had been shot down, but, based on the fact my brother was still out of jail, I guessed she must have decided otherwise.

'I don't know, Sook. I keep on thinking the pain is gonna lessen but it just won't. I miss Eggs so much.' She said, her eyes filling with tears. 'Holly's therapy group is kind of helping about...' she said, not finishing her sentence. I was so overwhelmed with the recent events taking place at Fangtasia that I had hardly given a thought about how my best friend was doing or feeling. I felt dreadful at the moment because I was in no position to help her with her heartache, suffering one of my own with Bill gone. I hadn't told the people of Bon Temps that we had broken up and they all simply assumed he was just off doing some vampire business. They were right in a way. I knew that his punishment must have been over with by now since McAlister the Magister (rhyming me!) so desperately wanted him to finish his database, and I couldn't help but wish, every time the phone rang at night (which was not that often, I can tell you that), it would be Bill, inviting me over to his place for cuddles as if nothing had happened.

Jessica had taken his departure quite sourly. She missed Bill's guidance a lot and the grand house on the other side of the cemetery felt very empty without his presence. I had been over there to bring her some True Blood a couple of times and to explain to her our current situation. We got along pretty well and she strangely was very mad at Bill for hurting me. She was helping a lot at Merlotte's, taking four or five night shifts per week. She was doing a great job and it seemed to me that she and Hoyt were back together. It didn't seem to please Tommy at all. He had a very bizarre crush on Jessica and felt very possessive of her. It had taken lots of self control on Sam's part not to fire him the night he had punched a client in the face for grabbing Jessica's behind. She could fend for herself, no doubt about that. She surely did not need little Tommy to punch some noses. The boy had issues with his violent temper and I didn't really appreciate working the same shifts as him. Luckily for me, since his unpleasant surge of violence, Sam had taken to making him work only day shifts where there wasn't much trouble to be caused. He barely saw Jessica anymore and that seemed to relax her a lot.

Tara's sobs brought me back to reality and I patted her back gently. I was worried about her befriending Holly Clearly. For some reason, the woman made me nervous. She had told pretty much everyone working at the bar that she was a Wiccan, some sort of witch of the forests. I was a bit sceptic at first, but then again if there were such things as fairies, werewolves, were-whatevers, shifters and vampires, why not Wiccans? Or Big Foot? Or Santa Clause? For all I knew, Eric was friends with the Loch Ness Monster! Thinking about Eric made my stomach flutter with butterflies. I missed the big Viking. A call from Pam yesterday had informed me that he was doing great, healing a lot faster than expected.

'Tara' I said, 'Will you ever forgive Jason?' I whispered, still patting her back. Her temper flared dramatically and I couldn't help but step back.

'He murdered my boyfriend! And cowered behind Andy!' She snapped, tears still flowing from her eyes.

'But he told you. Eggs was coming at Andy with a knife. Jason saved Andy's life, Tara...' I continued, my voice quivering. 'He's my brother, he's all I've got left.' I pleaded.

'He took from me the only person_ I_ had left!' Tara countered.

'You still have Lafayette' I whispered, hugging her tightly.

'I don't know what to do, Sook. I don't want Jason in jail or anything' At her words, the lump in my throat subsided. 'But I don't know if I can ever forgive him' she continued. I let her go and grabbed a cup of coffee for her, handing her the sugar. She drank the cup slowly, taking in my relaxed face.

'You're looking better Sookie.' She said. She was the only one who had guessed Bill was gone. She needed not be a telepath to know that I had gone through hard times whilst at Fangtasia.

'I guess I am feeling a tad bit better. It's just hard with all those things in my life reminding me of him.' I replied, staring at my fuming coffee.

'He was no good to you. He never was.' Tara replied, gloomily. I wanted to tell her that she didn't know anything at all about my relationship with Bill but it suddenly dawned on me. In a way, she was right. My life had become a mess since that dreadful night Bill had waltzed into Merlotte's. In a way, he had helped me a lot with the telepathy, helping me build up my shields to protect myself from other people's thoughts, but I had almost died a good dozen times since meeting him and my life had been anything but simple. And the fact that all the good times we had had were based on a bunch of lies did not help me find anything good about our relationship. Except maybe my meeting Eric and Pam. I missed them, a lot more than I would have thought possible. They were relaxing with their quiet brains. In fact, I missed anything that had to do with vampires, except the bloody politics. Once in a while, I'd get a surge of emotions at night that I could tell weren't mine. Eric's blood still flowed in my veins and mine in his, I realized. The dreams had subsided and I couldn't say I wasn't happy about that. It was quite straining to lust over a man whom I'd never have a real relationship with. I decided I would go to Fangtasia that night after work to see them. It was almost time for me to go to work a double shift so I thanked Tara for her visit and told her to call me whenever she felt like it.

Sam was quite happy to see me in Merlotte that day. Holly had called in sick and I was gonna be alone with Arlene for the lunch shift. At 7pm, Jessica would join and help with Tara who only did the bartending.

Arlene and Terry were having a hard time these days. I didn't know why and seriously did not have the energy to ask, but I could feel that Arlene was tensed and she sometimes looked at me in a way that made me break a cold sweat. We had been good friends at a time, but ever since I'd returned from Fangtasia, she had acted towards with some sort of fear she did not wish to explain. I once or twice got a glimpse of her, muttering things behind my back. I couldn't care less about her being moody, with her pregnancy and all, but it made the ambiance at work quite tensed when she would raise a temper at Jessica for absolutely no reason at all except that she was a vampire and effectively doing her job.

The day stretched on and Tommy left at the time Jessica came in. Jessica looked nervous tonight and she was rosier than I had seen her in a long, long time. Human blood I thought. Hoyt's without doubt. Ah well, I wasn't going to judge. I gave her a helpful smile when Arlene nudged her voluntarily. Jessica was incredibly patient with Arlene and I think I was more angered than her by Arlene's demeanour. Jessica smiled back and shrugged her shoulders, as if saying _What can I do?_ I took it on me to talk to Arlene. Whilst she was heading for Sam's office to get her purse and leave, I cornered her and gave her my Crazy Sookie smile.

'Arlene, honey, can I talk to you a minute?' I said, my voice dripping with sweetness I didn't really have towards her anymore. I would have been a terrible poker player I realised when she frowned at me.

'What d'you want?' She snapped, a bit scared of me, something I did not understand very well. I had never done anything to make her fear me.

'Why are you so intolerant towards Jessica? She works hard and does her job well as any of us.' I said, smoothly. Arlene took a step back and smiled cynically.

'She's not like any of us, Sookie. Nor are you, as a matter of fact. She's pure evil. And she shouldn't be.' She hissed before turning her back on me and slipping into Sam's office.

'What in heaven's sake do you mean by that Arlene?' I snapped, my brow furrowed in anger at the meaning of her words.

'I mean what I mean. God hates fangs.' She simply replied, and she headed down the hall. She turned back before entering the bar and hissed at me 'He hates freaks of nature too.'

I felt a lump form in my throat. What had I ever done to her to deserve those harsh words? I swallowed hard as tears silently rolled down my cheeks and went to the bathroom to put cool water on my face. Jessica came in at that moment and smiled shyly at me for walking in on me.

'Are you okay?' she asked, genuinely worried when she noticed my eyes were puffy from crying.

'Yeah, I'll be alright. You shouldn't let Arlene treat you that way, Jessica.' I said, softly, drying my hands before I walked back in the bar for my second shift of the day. The night was quite busy and I didn't have much time to think about anything at all. When I finally got out at midnight, I hurried back home to shower and change for my visit at Fangtasia.

I pondered for a while what I should wear to the vampire bar. I opted for a cute new dress I had bought a few days ago. It was white and strapless. It flared at the hips down to my knees and I wore my strappy sandals with it. I let my hair down and put on loads of mascara and a touch of blush. I grabbed a warm navy wool vest to keep me warm in the cool November air.

My drive to Shreveport was a quiet one, even though I kept on drumming my fingers nervously on the wheel. What would I say to Eric? Would he even be there? Would he be happy to see me? When I drove in to the parking lot, I noticed the bar must have been very crowded for the parking lot was full and the line of impatient fangbangers snaked almost to the corner of the building. At the door was Pam, dressed in pink latex, her blue eyes heavily made up with a smoky eye shadow. She smirked when she saw me approach and gestured for me to skip the line. A few fangbangers complained and whined and she shot them the deadliest look which shut them up quite efficiently.

'Well, well, what a sight.' Pam said, a hint of a smirk on her lips, taking the sight of me in.

'Hey Pam' I said, smiling genuinely.

'He's on his throne tonight' she said, irony in her voice.

'Bad night for me to see him?' I asked, cocking my head to the side, questioningly.

'You'll understand when you see him...' she said, mysteriously. As I entered the bar, some sexy beat hit me, almost drowning out the thoughts of the annoying tourists who hung out at the bar. It was one of those kinky nights at Fangtasia and Yvetta and a new dancer were swaying gracefully and sinfully around their poles. My arrival got quite a reaction out of most of the men of the bar, vampires and humans alike. Maybe I had gone over the top with that cleavage exposure. _Silly little dress of mine_, I giggled silently. I looked over at Eric's throne and found him already looking my way, his gaze taking in the whole of me. I felt a strong surge of his emotions: smugness, lust, pleasure, lust, lust, lust. Jesus. The man was naughty. He looked completely healed and was wearing a dark tank top and leather pants. As bored as he might have looked when I entered the place, he now was anything but bored. He looked gorgeous as usual and he was currently mindlessly shoving away with his foot a couple of fangbangers who were getting too close for his comfort. He crooked his finger at me for me to join him. Instead, I sat at the bar, throwing him a smile over my shoulder. I ordered a drink Gin-and-tonic from the barman and sipped it quietly, taking in the vibe of the bar. Eric was still looking my way, his brow furrowed. He was annoyed. Ah, well, I was very thirsty. A man nudged me and tried to grab my butt. I slipped away from his hold and glared at him.

'Do not touch me, you disgusting smug a-hole!' I yapped at him. He smelt of alcohol and his thoughts revolved around the things he wished he could do to me if I'd only follow him back to his car. I almost gagged. The man was gross and I caught of whiff of sour sweat. He had bad hair and teeth and he was obviously out of it.

'Ohhh, the pretty lady!' he whispered, his mouth almost on my neck.

'Get off!' I snarled, punching his ribs as hard as I could.

His hold on me was strong and I shuddered in disgust, trying to shove him away. He was about to pinch my breast when, suddenly, he wasn't holding me anymore. He wasn't even next to me at all. He was hovering a foot above the ground. Eric didn't look pleased at all.

'I believe the lady said no!' Eric growled, not ready yet to release the man from his grip.

'Let me go!' The drunk responded, his eyes wide in fear. I could understand that, after all, he was hanging from the hand of a 6'4'' Viking thousand years old angry Vampire. There was cause for fear. I replaced my dress which had been disrupted by the man's ministrations and gave Eric a thankful smile. He was still holding on to the man's neck.

'Get out of here and don't come back!' Eric snarled, dropping the man from all his height on a table top, causing the man to yelp in pain. Eric than grabbed my hand and forcefully dragged me to his throne. He plumped himself into it and gestured for me to sit next to him. I realised just then that everyone in the bar had watched the encounter with great interest, many women and men swearing at me for capturing the beautiful Sheriff's attention.

'You're looking quite _mouth-watering_, tonight, Sookie. This new dress looks good on you.' Eric said, his voice low, grabbing my left hand and tracing patterns on the back side of it. I almost giggled at his choice of words. He was the best at making women feel special, always noticing a little something new.

'Thank you.' I muttered, looking at my ring. I still hadn't been able to take it on me to remove the diamond Bill had given me. Eric noticed and it seemed to annoy him. I spun the ring around swiftly for the diamond to rest in my palm.

'What owes me the pleasure of your company tonight?' He replied, his eyes never leaving my throat. I could sense his arousal through our bond and my heartbeat raced. I couldn't understand why the hell the man made my stomach flutter like it did, especially since most of the time, he tried to manipulate me into doing things I did not wish to be doing.

'I felt like going out, I guess.' I replied, gazing at our joined hands. 'And I missed you and Pam.' I added, truthfully. A grin spread on his lips at my words and he swiftly brought his lips down on my palm to kiss it.

'You should miss us more often.' He whispered. I shuddered all over at his words, feeling heat spread through my limbs. My face must have flushed over because Eric's chest rumbled with a hungry growl and his fangs popped out. I turned my head to look at Pam who was now standing inside, looking rather nervous.

Eric saw her immediately and silently ordered her over.

'What is it, Pam?' He muttered, annoyed at her disturbance.

'The witches. They're here.' Pam simply said, her face impassive.


	10. Don't Tell me What To Do

**Ta-da, another chapter. Hope you enjoy it! Reviews are very, very welcomed, as always. I still can't believe I got over a hundred! This chapter I had great fun writing because I can totally picture Sookie getting very, very pissed at all the males in her life :)! **

**Enjoy! Love you all!**

**xoxo**

'Sweet Baby Jesus. Witches? What witches?' I muttered, looking from Pam to Eric and back again.

'Damn it. What do they want this time?' Eric barked at Pam. 'Can't they fuck off and let us be?' Wow. The swearing was really out of character for Eric. I couldn't help but giggle. I could feel just how horny he was and it was starting to get to me.

'They want to talk to you in private.' Pam muttered.

'How many are they tonight?' he continued, not bothering to answer my question. I clamped my mouth shut and waited for them to remember my presence. Have I ever mentioned how much I despise vampires sometimes?

'A dozen. But I can smell some more in the area. They mean business, Eric.' Pam replied, cocking her head at a bunch of people that had just entered. They were all dressed in long black draped coats. Their chief, a tall, quite stunning woman stood in the middle, a man who resembled her very much at her side. _Her brother_, I read in her mind. She was skinny as hell, model skinny, the kind you want to feed Crisco grease for her to fatten up. She had long sluggish brown hair and a beautiful bony face. She exhaled an air of power and strength. The man next to her was slightly taller than her with the same bony features. He, however, didn't look one bit appealing to the eye. He looked mean and dark and cruel with a bad twist to his lips that made him look like he was going to bite someone's hand off.

'Take them to my office. The last thing I want is them taking an interest in Sookie.' Eric growled. Pam strolled towards the group and ushered them towards the back of the bar. Eric grabbed my hand and took me outside so quickly I didn't even realise we were out until he dropped his leather jacket on my shoulders. I couldn't see my navy vest anywhere. It must have remained inside.

'I'm sorry I must cut this short but I don't want to risk them discovering what you are.' He swiftly explained, opening my car door for me and shoving me in it.

'Who are they?' I asked, still stunned.

'Witches. Bad ones. Usually we're capable of dealing with them. I just hope they're not looking for trouble, because I'm not in a mood for trouble.' He replied, giving my hand a last kiss before he showed me out of the parking lot. 'I'll keep you informed, my dearest.' He said before I rolled out towards the highway. I drove as fast as I could towards Bon Temps, wondering how much trouble could a bunch of witches cause a thousand year old vampire.

When I arrived home, I was suddenly terrified to get out of my car. Something was wrong. Someone had been here not long ago. It was as if I could still feel that person's thoughts, whoever it was. Whoever it was, they did not want to join me for coffee. I looked through my purse for anything at all that might be used as a weapon. I hadn't felt that kind of terror since I'd been fighting for my life with Lorena. It was as if someone had trapped my heart in an icy fist and was tightening their grip slowly and painfully. What the hell was happening to me? I thought, putting my head on the steering wheel to take deep calming breaths after having ensured all the doors of my tiny yellow car were locked. And just like that, the terror was gone. I opened my shields up to listen in on any minds that might be in the area. _Werewolve_s. A whole bunch of them. They were the ones that had been here, waiting for me to come out, unaware. Shit. I'd have to call Eric to tell him. For now, the danger had passed and I finally crawled out of my car, an old umbrella that I kept on my back seat in hand, ready to pounce. But no one came. I scrambled up my porch steps and slipped in the door, my heart beating fast and hard in my chest. Locking the door, I turned on all the security lights around the house and looked out in my backyard. I froze in place. There, about a dozen meters from my backdoor stood a vampire. He was very still and looking straight back at me. _Bill_. I carefully opened the door and gestured for him to approach, which he did, slowly.

'What in heaven's sake are you doing here?' I snapped, angry yet happy to see he was alright.

'You're in danger, Sookie. I know you do not trust me at the moment but you must believe me...' he replied, his cool voice genuinely worried.

'You're the one to blame for my not trusting you, Bill.' I retorted, my arms stubbornly crossed on my chest. I felt Eric's leather coat slip and pulled it back around my shoulders, the weight slumping on me in a comforting way.

Bill sniffed the air and looked at the jacket.

'Eric's not with you?' He questioned, pained.

'Why would he be?' I replied, my voice as cool as I could make it. 'And even if he were, what business of yours would that be?'

'None. It's just that you smell of him.'

'Coat.' I simply replied, a Isn't-it-Obvious smirk on my face. I would not crumple in front of him.

'Russell's wolves were here earlier.' He informed me.

'So what? You're like camping outside my home now? Aren't you supposed to be in Peru or something?' I replied, ignoring the danger his comment implied.

'No, I am not camping! I merely escaped McAlister's surveillance to come and warn you. The wolves didn't take it well that Eric took out their V source. My guess is they'll want to take you from Eric as payback. And Sophie-Anne is still interested in...acquiring you.' He completed, his gruff voice sending tremors down my spine. Damn him and his dark romantic looks.

'Well who must I thank for that?' I said, cool as a cucumber. No vampire could enter my home without invitation and for the werewolves, there really wasn't much I could do for the time being.

'And then there's Debbie.' Bill finished, his disgust for the woman quite obvious. At least we agreed on this: the girl was insane and repulsive in the non physical manner. Though the gash I had left on her face surely didn't help her in that department either.

'What about her? Isn't Alcide taking care of her or something?' I asked, puzzled.

'She escaped. I don't know what she intends to do but I couldn't leave without warning you.' Bill said, eyeing me in a way he hadn't in a few weeks. He looked loving and pained and I almost felt like kissing him but I refrained. The guy had lied to me, time and time again. I was not going to fall for the same trick twice.

'Consider me warned. You may go have tea with the Magister now if you wish. Or find new pets for the Queen. Whatever it is you intend to do in Peru.' I said, dismissive.

'You are harsh, Sookie' he murmured. 'You used to be very different.'

'You used to be my fiancé and my first love.' I retorted, my anger rolling through me in hot waves. 'As a matter of fact, have this back. I can't bear to look at it anymore.' I whimpered, tears filling up my eyes. I removed the delicate ring from my left hand and held it out for him to take.

He looked at me for a long time before he actually took the ring and dropped it in his pocket, his fingers lingering way too long on mine.

'Not everything was a lie. I did love you. I still do. And it will take a long time for me to rip it out of my heart. Good bye, Sookie, take care.' Bill whispered before running out into the woods. I was so shaken by this visit that I closed the backdoor, locked it and slumped to the ground, crying like a baby. I simply wanted to crawl in bed right now and that is exactly what I did after I stripped off my dress, washed my face thoroughly and brushed my teeth. I turned and turned in bed. I couldn't find sleep and was nervous as hell. I felt empty and realised I was hungry. Looking at my alarm clock, I was startled to see it was almost four in the morning. The sun wouldn't rise for another four hours since we were headed for winter. I slipped on a robe and walked to the kitchen to have a snack. I decided on a piece of chocolate cake. Sure, in a few days I'd regret that chocolate cake when I'd put on my bathing suit for a late season tanning session, but right now I needed the comfort food. I suddenly heard a thud on my back door. As if someone was throwing tiny stones at it. What the heck, this time!

I stood up and grabbed my frying pan which was still dirty from my morning eggs and held it over my head. I carefully pulled the curtains aside to look at whoever or whatever was making the annoying and scary noise. It was Jason. A very, very drunk Jason.

'What the hell!' I barked at him when I opened the door. He walked in, smiling a googly grin as if he was really glad that I had actually opened the door.

'Sis' he slurred. God where had he been this time?

'Jason, it's four in the morning! What the hell are you doing here? Where's your truck?'

'I walked' he giggled. Oh. So. Very. Funny.

'You walked?' I asked, incredulous. 'What are you doing here anyways? What's wrong?'

'I don't know. Sookie, stop moving!' He laughed. I was standing still as a stone.

'How much have you had to drink?' I replied, dragging him to a kitchen chair.

'I went to a paaaaaarty.' He slurred, smiling sheepishly.

'A party? Where? With whom?' I filled him a big glass of water and assured he drank it all.

'With Holly!' he replied, grinning like an idiot. My brother had been quite the party animal in his younger years, but I could have sworn he hadn't been this incapacitated in at least five years. He didn't drink much anymore so his state was quite a shock for me.

'Holly? Holly Clearly? You know her?' I replied, suspicious. I didn't like that woman one bit. Not the influence she had on Tara, not the way she seemed to be befriending Arlene. Heck, I didn't trust that woman at all.

'Yeah. With Crystal! Was verrrryyy fun.' He continued, gulping down the remaining of his glass. Who the hell was Crystal? A drug? A girl?

As I knew I wouldn't get anymore out of him for the time being, I pulled him up, draping his limp arm around my shoulders and helped him to my old bedroom where he slumped fully dressed on the bed and snored the moment his head hit the pillow.

When I was sure he wasn't going to roll off the mattress and hit his head on the nightstand, I closed the door quietly and resumed to my kitchen.

'What's next?' I sneered out loud. 'Anymore surprise visits from creepy people for tonight?' I asked my fridge. The machine simply purred slowly. Yeah. Appliances tend to give you one-way relationships.

I almost fell asleep at my table before I decided to crawl back into bed. My head had just hit my pillow when tapping at my front door startled me. I looked at the clock on my nigh stand. I was 4:24 am. Damn it! What now!

I crawled out of bed, into my robe and to the front door. A huge figure was looming in the shadow. Great. Now I was going to get ripped to shreds by a madman. What a night, my friends, what a night.

I looked through the curtains and recognized Alcide. That was just great, I thought. Perfect. What next? Debbie? An undead René? Damn it.

I opened the door, my brows furrowed. Alcide stared at me for a second before he finally opened his mouth to speak. I was faster than him.

'This better be really good because I have had ENOUGH for one night!' I growled at him. 'What the HELL do you want! It's four thirty in the bloody morning!'

Alcide took a step back and his shoulders slumped.

'I thought you might me in danger.' He muttered gruffly.

'Oh, you too! Great. See, I'm fine. Goodnight! Come again!' I said, trying to close the door. He did not comply with my dismissal and instead walked in. 'Or you can just barge in my house without permission. And slump on my couch.' I said, annoyed.

'Sookie. Debbie has escaped. And she's after you. I'm not feeling too, too good about leaving you alone.' Alcide muttered, caressing my arm in a sweet manner.

'And so you thought it would be alright to wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me so?' I said, trying to shy away from his touch. 'Jason's here. Sleeping. There. I'm not alone, you can go.'

'I missed you.' He whispered, hugging me tight to his chest. It felt like the embrace of a bear. I giggled at the thought because this was about as close as it would get. He lifted my chin with his warm hand and before I knew it, he was kissing me.

Oh. Perfect. His lips were warm and inviting and I was almost tempted to let him ravish me on my couch but my sanity and annoyance took over.

'Okay, what was that for?' I whispered, drawing away from him.

'I've grown quite fond of you, Sookie.' He said, sitting on the couch, dragging me to him. He was so big and tall and strong, I felt as if I was a tiny fragile thing he wanted to protect.

'I really like you too, Alcide, but now I think my bed would win in an international Whom-does-Sookie-Love-More competition. I haven't slept all night.' I yawned at that moment, proving just how much my bed was calling to me.

'Why?' he simply replied.

'First, there was Eric at Fangtasia who basically shooed me out when a bunch of bitchy witches came in, then there were the werewolves around my house that had luckily left before I came back. Then Bill showed up for a surprise visit. And then Jason who was drunk as a bloody barrel and is now drilling a hole through my old mattress with his snoring. And now you. I mean I _need_ my beauty sleep!' I explained. Man, busy night, Sookie, busy night.

'Oh.' Was all Alcide said. 'Okay. I'll let you sleep if you're not alone. I'll be back this afternoon if that's alright with you. I really need to talk to you.' He muttered, kissing me chastely on the forehead. Okay. Bye, bye Alcide. I accompanied him to the door and he walked out, throwing me a meaningful look before he climbed in his truck.

Jesus Christ. I crept back to my bed and put my pillow on my head. The house could crumble, I wouldn't move a toe now.


	11. I Came To Dance

**I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful feedback. It feels just great to read all your review! **

**Gals, here is some more fun! I know you might be all wondering when the hell are Eric and Sookie gonna get together? It shall happen very soon I assure you :) **

**I intend to loosely follow the plot of the fourth novel. Loosely as in don't expect it to be exactly the same, but I will try and keep it in touch with the AB vibe which I quite enjoy even though the man is taking FOREVER to bring E & S together. Hopefully you'll enjoy my take on the fourth book and the fourth upcoming season. The fourth and ninth books were my personnal favorites in the SVM series :)**

**Review, review, review! Lots of love to you all :)**

**xoxoxoxo**

I woke up the next day and realised I had overslept. I was late for work. Well duh, I thought, with all my acquaintances making me nightly visits, no wonder I was so tired. Then I realised it was Saturday and I had the day off. I really needed some sleep. I wondered if Jason was up yet. I crawled out of bed and into the shower and when I was pampered and dressed, I went to the kitchen for a nice brunch. Jason was already there, sipping coffee, a very puzzled look on his face.

'I see you're awake.' I teased.

'Sookie, what am I doing here?' He muttered, questioningly.

'Oh, you don't remember?' I asked. How surprising, the man probably couldn't even remember his own name the night before.

'I simply remember going out with Crystal to a sort of party with Wiccans and then nothing. I woke up here and I was hungry and have a terrible headache.'

'You were drunk as hell and barged in my house at around 3 am. You didn't have your truck and you told me you'd walked. Who the hell is Crystal? And what were you doing at a Wiccan party? With Holly Clearly?' I continued, my voice rising with every word.

'Crystal's my new girlfriend. Girl from Hotshot. She's... special.' Jason muttered.

'What do you mean, special?' I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

'Let's just say she kind of does like the werewolves you told me about, but she doesn't turn into a wolf?' He said, quickly.

'She's a shifter?' I dropped my jaw popping open.

'Of some sort, I guess? She turns into a panther, a big black one. She's real scary when she does.' He assured me, raising his eyebrows in a very Jason-like manner.

'She's the one Pam smelt the other night at your place.' I simply breathed.

'I guess. But hey, she's real sweet and all.' Jason defended his girl immediately. We had to give him that, he was one loyal boyfriend when he decided to be. Which wasn't that often, but hey, he tried.

'Yeah, sure.' I said. I was willing to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, even though no one in town really liked the people from Hotshot. They were rather peculiar ones and they lived all alone in cheap trailers a few miles west of Bon Temps.

'What about Holly?' I suddenly asked. 'What were you doing at a Wiccan party? With Holly and Crystal?'

'Well Holly said she could help us with Crystal's problem. So we went and we drank something to commune with the spirits or something and them poof, nothing. I woke up here.' Jason replied.

'You took something from a supposed Wiccan to help your werepanther girlfriend without even asking what you were drinking?' I snapped, incredulous. Where did he keep his brain cells? In his pants?

'Well... Yeah. That was pretty stupid huh?' Jason asked.

I simply glared at him and opened the fridge.

'Bacon and eggs?' I offered him. He nodded and gave me a hand to fix us some breakfast.

'You alright Sook?' he asked, seeing me yawn for the fifth time in ten minutes.

'Just tired.' I replied, giving him a small grin. 'How are things going with Tara?' I asked him, eyeing him out the corner of my eyes.

'She won't talk to me. And she has been menacing Andy to tell on us. But I don't think she'll do it. I just hope she can forgive me... It does feel a whole lot better now that she knows.' Jason concluded, taking a piece of bacon out of the pan to chew on it.

'Yeah well she's had some tough times.' I muttered.

'I think we all have.' Jason replied, referring to Gran's death, René's murderous rampage, Maryann's folly and all the other things that had happened in less than three months. My life had changed drastically during that time. From a simple telepath barmaid, I had been a vamp's girlfriend, had killed a man in self defence, staked my boyfriend's maker to death, and discovered I was part fairy (whatever). I surely was looking forward for the New Year, where, hopefully, life would go back to its boring normality. No more deaths, bodies and blood. _Yeah, fat chance_, I thought.

'I'll get going Sook' Jason said once he had helped me with the dishes. 'Take care, sis. And thanks for last night. By the way, good job on the house.' He added, unsure as to how I had managed to renovate the whole place so quickly and with no budget at all.

He hugged me tight and then went out. I don't know how he intended to get back to his place, but I noticed a car had pulled up in my newly paved driveway. At the wheel was a girl I supposed was Crystal. The skin around one of her eyes was discoloured, as if she'd had a black eye quite recently. She looked bony and awkward. Jason had a magnet for trouble, I thought. Just as I.

At around 3 pm, Alcide's truck pulled in my driveway. I was lying in my bathing suit on the lawn and gave him a wave as he jumped out of his truck. He sat by my chaise in the grass and looked at me, appreciatively. Men. I pulled on my t-shirt over my bikini and sat up, waiting for him to speak.

'Hey, Sookie.' He said, smiling. He had the cutest dimples in his cheeks when he smiled, but that was as far as the adjective cute could apply to him. Not unlike Eric, everything about Alcide was man, strong and virile. From his messy curls to his untidy beard, to his thick and muscular arms, he looked as close to a wolf as one could get, yet he had a tender heart for those he cared for. Luckily for me, I was part of those people.

'Hey, Alcide.' I said, suddenly happy to see him.

'I'm sorry about last night. I was quite... impolite.' He excused himself, mindlessly patting my knee. My last experience at leg patting had been with a certain Mr. Northman and the idea was enough to make my insides go _Whoopee!_. Alcide's touch was quite agreeable, with his skin running a few degrees higher than the normal human temperature. A shifter thing, as far as I could tell.

'No biggy.' I replied, back to my being my pleasing self. 'What exactly did you want to talk about?' I asked, curious. I did not ask him to stop his leg patting and he didn't making small concentric circles on the sensitive skin of my thigh. I shuddered at his touch and he noticed it, his eyes taking in my offered lips. I took a peak at his thoughts which were harder for me to read than a normal human's. But his intentions were clear.

Oh Jesus and dear Mama. He raised himself to his knees and brought his lips to mine, kissing me deeply, one of his hand snaked beneath my t-shirt, the other in my hair. Wow. That was quite something! I moaned against his lips and his hand which was running under my t-shirt snaked higher, grazing my left breast. He almost growled and I bit his lower lip in response. He was quite the kisser, his tongue plundering my mouth and caressing mine in a quite pleasant way. He was really good. Different than Bill, but not quite as good as Eric. Eric was quite hard to beat at the task since he'd had a millennium to practice on willing ladies. I slipped my hand up his neck and grabbed a fistful of his hair, drawing another growl from his throat.

'Sookie.' He whispered lustfully. What was it with men these days! I thought. I suddenly pushed him back and stared at him, my eyes wide as plates.

'What just happened?' I whimpered, my fingers on my swollen lips.

'I don't know.' He replied. 'But I wouldn't mind doing it again.' He said, truthfully. _Me neither, Alcide, me neither._ But it wasn't a good idea. I decided I should listen to him first, and then let him ravish me on my new lawn. Smart thinking, I congratulated myself. What was up with me and my libido?

'You wanted to discuss something?' I reminded him when I notice his attention go back to my lips and my breasts.

'Yes.' He said after loudly clearing his throat. Woa. He did have a certain animalistic appeal to him. No pun intended. 'I wanted to offer you the shelter of my home.' He blurted out, his face very serious. I had a hard time not laughing out loud. I simply giggled softly and cocked my head to the side.

'The shelter of your home?' I repeated. 'You want me to move in with you?'

'Yes. I like you Sookie. I really do. And I want to protect you. You're not with Bill anymore so...'

'You thought you could take it from here?' I suggested, a slight smile on my lips. It was actually kind of sweet, but totally out of the question. He looked as if I had just taken his cookie away.

'Would you please honour me with a date?' He said, cupping my face in one of his strong, manly palms.

I thought about it for a second and then realised there was no harm in giving him a chance to seduce me. He was charming and kind and generous. Sure he had a crazy ex who wanted my head on a platter, but he was devoted and loyal and I was sure as hell he would never use me for political advancement. Oh, and he could actually do the groceries with me and rest in the sun without ending up looking like a campfire.

'Alright. What would you like to do?' I asked him, smiling.

'I could take you out to dinner or the movies?' He offered, grinning. That sounded pleasant enough.

'How about tonight?' I asked.

'I'll pick you up at seven?' He offered. I thought about the fact I was going to feel obliged to invite him in for coffee if he did and decided I'd rather drive my own car.

'Or we could meet up at the restaurant? I had some errands to run anyways.' I lied, my grin still plastered to my face.

'Sure thing.' He replied, brushing his dark jeans clean of any garden-folly evidence. He gave me the directions to the restaurant and then left, kissing me on the lips on his way. I laid in the sun a few more hours and retrieved to the warmth of my house when the day started getting chilly. I took a long shower and put on a cute yet sexy flowery dress I had worn once to Fangtasia. I left my hair down, remembering how much men complimented me on it when I wore it that way. I wore light makeup on most of my face but painted my lashes with lots of black mascara. It made my eyes stand out and I liked it. At 6:30 pm I locked my front door and swiftly walk down towards my car. I was stopped dead in my track by the sight of a certain Mr Northman leaning against his Corvette.

'What are you doing here?' I muttered, dumbfounded.

'You're breathtaking.' He said, his voice a deep purr. 'I wanted to see you, my darling.' He continued, taking my hands to draw me into his arms.

'I'm kind of running late.' I said, sheepishly, my chin up, gazing at his magnificent face.

'Running late? For what?' He asked, suspicious. He then breathed me in and winced. 'You reek of werewolf.' He grunted, spinning us around so I was the one pressed against the side of his Corvette. This felt oddly familiar. And oddly exciting. He was horny. How surprising not.

'I have a date with one tonight.' I challenged him, smirking. He pressed himself into me, leaving very little to the imagination at how well endowed he was. I gasped when he dropped his hands on both sides of my head, trapping me.

'I don't like that one bit.' Eric growled.

'I'm not exactly asking for your permission.' I replied.

'I wouldn't give it.' Eric replied, cocky. He looked at my hair and grabbed a handful of it before planting a wet kiss on my neck. 'I would totally fuck you right here, right now.' He breathed in my ear. Damn libido. I shuddered all over and my knees almost buckled. I might have slipped had he not held me up between his car and his body. He slid his hand up my thigh and caressed my skin right next to my lace panties, easing my dress up as he did so.

'What are you doing?' I asked, breathless. _What the hell_, _Sookie_, I thought, _you have a date with another man_!

'Teasing.' He whispered. He then swiftly moved back and grinned at his effect on me.

'How did it go with the witches?' I asked, intrigued, pulling down my dress modestly. I felt my cheeks flush at the ideas that crossed my mind and I was thankful he could only feel my emotional state and not hear my ideas. Which at the moment were rather sinful.

'Not as well as I expected.' Eric growled. He could be quite laconic sometimes.

'If you'll excuse me, Eric, I really am running late.' I said, strolling towards my car.

He looked at my ride, thoughtful and then said very bluntly:

'I've never seen such an ugly car. The color is just irritating.'

'Geez, thanks. I happen to like yellow.' I muttered. 'I'll remove my ugly car out of your sight so that its colour does not irritate you.' I snapped back.

'Can I offer you a ride?' He said, smug.

'I'm sure Alcide would really love that.' I replied, equally smug. I then slid in my car and drove off, leaving him to wander all he wanted. Without invitation, he couldn't exactly go in my house.

I drove as fast as I could and managed to arrive only fifteen minutes late. Alcide was waiting for me at the door of the restaurant and he looked happy to see me. He was dressed in a dark pair of beautifully pressed trousers and he had on a crisp white button down shirt. He looked quite the sight.

'You're breathtaking, Sookie.' He said, eyeing me meaningfully. Hu-huh, déjà vu. He sniffed the air unintentionally and then almost snarled.

'You reek of Eric.' He growled.

'For heaven's sake, what's with all the sniffing tonight!' I yapped, pouting. 'He surprised me at my place. He just wanted to talk. You know the drill. Can we go in?' I asked, giving him my most angelic smile.

'Sure, beautiful. Anything you like.' Alcide said, putting his hand on my waist as he held the door for me. The restaurant was French. Another déjà vu washed over me, this one painful, of the night Bill had proposed, not even a month ago. I gulped it down, intent on enjoying this night out.

Alcide turned out to be quite the gentleman and I spent a wonderful evening. After a delicious meal of _canard à l'orange_ and _gratin dauphinois_, we concluded by splitting a _crêpe Suzette_. Alcide then took me to the movies and he brought me back to the restaurant so I could get back my car. Before I opened the door to get out, thanking him, he pushed a strand of my hair away from my face and went in for a kiss. I allowed him to do so since I did find him quite the attractive bunch. And he was very sweet and all. I really needed a sweet man to get over my Bill heartache, I thought. As the kiss deepened, Alcide's hands became more and more demanding, sliding down my throat to my chest where he cupped my breast. I moaned slightly and found myself straddling him, my back on the steering wheel. I was really enjoying this.

'Sookie.' He whispered, his mouth on my neck. His hands went down on my thighs and pushed my dress up, caressing my smooth skin in a way that made me want to rip his white shirt off. His muscles tensed up under my touch when I started nibbling at his neck. It was quite different being with a live person instead of a vampire. The breath intakes were genuine and the heat was real. My panties were clinging to me in a very unpleasant manner as his pants had suddenly gotten way too tight for comfort. I was about to undo his pants when I arched my back under his touched and my butt collided with the car horn. The noise surely was heard all the way back to Shreveport, I thought, mortified.

'Jesus Christ!' He yelped, surprised. I took that as a sign for the divine and swiftly returned to the passenger seat, with many grunts of pain on Alcide's part.

'I'm so, so sorry.' I muttered.

'It's alright, Sookie.' He said, his voice stifling a giggle.

'I am so clumsy. I'm sorry!' I continued, a thin smile on my lips. 'I think I'll go now. Thank you for the night, it was wonderful.' I said, kissing him lightly on the lips before I darted out of his car and trotted towards mine. He made sure I was safely in my car before he drove out. I followed soon after. I totally sucked, I snickered.


	12. But I Did Not Shoot The Deputy

**Okay guys, this is where you either love it or hate it. A fellow reviewer made me think about changing the curse that Eric originally suffered in the book series the way I would think AB might do it. So I came up with this. I and think lots of fun will come out of this :) gaaaahhh**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Sorry if the whole thing feels erratic and rushed (in some way) but I thought it translated well enough the awkwardness of the entire situation. Without further ado, enjoy it, darlings :)**

**xoxoxooox Love ya!**

A few days passed without much happening in my life. I was sucked back into my routine. Alcide called the day after our date and asked me if I wanted to go out again but I was working the night shifts for the next five days. I told him I'd give him a call as soon as I was free again.

I had just finished my night shift and was rolling home down on Hummingbird road. I was tired and I turned on the radio to relax. I put the volume higher and started drumming on the wheel. This felt good. I opened my window to let in some fresh air. The night was very cold but I liked a breath of fresh air after and evening spent in the bar. The song playing was 'I Shot the Sheriff' by Eric Clapton. I looked in my rear-view mirror when I thought I caught a glimpse of something light moving. I guessed it might have been a car or something but the light was gone. I kept my eyes on the road and turned the volume up some more. This felt very, very good.

I suddenly saw the object moving behind me. I peered curiously in my mirror and gasped. There was a man running after my car. He was bare chest and bare foot. What in heaven's sake? I thought. I suddenly understood what the flashes of light had been. Golden hair. Eric.

I braked so suddenly I thought my head was going to snap off my shoulders. Eric finally caught up with my car and I stepped out, ready to pounce.

'What the HELL ARE YOU DOING?' I yelled at him, taking in his state. His feet were bloodied from running barefoot and he looked cold. As cold as vampires get (Ha-ha). Well duh, that's what happened when you ran half-naked in the middle of November, Louisiana or not.

'Sookie. Thank God. I've been running since Shreveport and I have no fucking idea why.' He growled.

'Excuse me?' I replied, tightening my coat around my shoulders, shivering. 'Why didn't you fly?' I asked, surprised.

'I don't know. I just know I had to be here and then I caught your smell and I ran this way. It's like I was compulsively looking for you.' Eric replied, looking more vulnerable than I'd ever seen him. He truly had no idea why he was here. And I didn't either.

'Geez Louise...Get in the car, you're gonna catch a cold.' I said. Reminding myself the man was dead, I shrugged and corrected '_I'm_ gonna catch a cold...'

Eric sitting in my car was quite a sight in itself. I didn't have half-naked thousand year-old Viking Vampire sheriffs sitting in my tiny car every day. The sight was hilarious. My car had obviously not been made for people of greater size than the average 5'8''. It looked as though Eric had been stuffed in a sock that had shrunk in the drying machine. Eric looked at the inside of the car and wrinkled his nose in distaste. Great. He was going to snob my car, now. What a jerk...

'This car is horrible.' He muttered. 'You need a better one.'

'Don't we all.' I muttered, not even willing to discuss this with him.

I shrugged, went to the trunk and grabbed a blanket I always kept there. I threw it on Eric's naked torso and sat back down. I resumed driving towards my house.

'What's with the noise?' He muttered, turning down the radio from which were blaring the last choruses of Eric Clapton's song. He gave me a look of suspicion when he heard the lyrics to the song. _I shot the sheriff_... Oh the irony of life...

'My car, my rules.' I muttered, leaving the music at the level it was. The drive to my place was a short one and when we got there, I invited him it and had him sit in the armchair in my newly renovated living room.

'I'm afraid I don't have much man's clothes here.' I muttered. 'Why the hell were you barefoot, damnit?' I scoffed. He was looking at the inside of my house, a pleasant grin on his face.

'You like what they did?' He asked me when I returned in the living room with a basin full of foaming hot water I had taken in the nearby kitchen.

'Yes I do. Thank you again for that.' I said, blushing slightly. 'Let me change and I'll be right back. Please don't move, you'll put blood on the rugs.' I said, pointing at his feet. I scurried to my room and pull off my Merlotte's uniform and pulled on a little night dress and the matching mini shorts. When I returned to the living room, I kneeled at Eric's feet and gently tried to remove all the dirt and rocks that might have stuck to his wounds. I then placed his feet in the basin and started washing them. I felt like Mary Magdalena, except I surely was no prostitute and Eric was obviously no Jesus. He didn't say a word the entire time I washed his feet. He simply looked at me, puzzled and confused. When I dried his feet, he took my chin in his big palm and lifted my face to look at him.

'What?' I asked.

'Thank you.' He breathed.

'You're welcome.' I replied, smiling sweetly at him. 'Now I should call Pam. I'm sure she can get here and take you back to Shreveport by light.'

'No please.' He interjected.

'What now?' I asked, not in the mood for his manipulation.

'I can't go. Not away from you.' He muttered. He didn't seem to understand that fact himself but the moment I went for the phone, he followed me.

'What is wrong with you?' I questioned him, my hands on my hips, annoyed.

'When I was running towards Bon Temps, I only knew I _had_ to find you, whatever happened. I _had_ to.' He uttered, his face still contorted by incomprehension.

'Don't you think you're making a big deal out of nothing at all?' I pushed past him and tried to go up to find him some clothes in Jason's old stash. I was about midway through the stairs and him in the living room when I suddenly found myself utterly unable to be move any further. I physically couldn't step more than twenty or so meters from him.

'Oh Christ. What now!' I yelped.

'What is it?' he asked, passing his head out of the doorway that lead to the living room. I stepped further from him. Couldn't budge a finger further than twenty or so meters.

'I can't move.' I replied. He cocked his head to the side, as dumbfounded as me.

'What do you mean, you can't move?'

'I can't move. It's like you have this twenty meter radius in which I can be. Further than that, it's like I've been Tazered!' I whined.

'Tazered?' he questioned.

'Where the hell were you the past century? Technology? Doesn't it ring any bells in your head?' I asked, exasperated. Obviously not.

'Try and go up the stairs.' He said. 'How far can you go till you're blocked?'

'Here.' I muttered.

'Fine. I'll go up with you.' He replied. Covering the distance between the living room and the stairs in a few long strands, he followed me up the stairs. Strangely enough, when he was close, I felt a lot better, a lot calmer and I could move more freely. What in heaven's sake was happening to me? To him?

Once I found him an old sweater of Jason's (who luckily was built and broad at the shoulders like Eric, if not a good four inches shorter), he followed me back down to the kitchen where I yanked his phone out of his back pocket and dialled Pam's cell.

'Pam, it's Sookie.'

'You've found him?' She simply asked, relief in her voice.

'Yes. What the hell is going on? I can't move further than a few meters away from him. Physically can't. What is this some sort of a joke?'

'What about him?' she tried, sounding about as puzzled as me.

Eric who was listening to the conversation tentatively walked away from me, putting as much space between us as possible until he simply couldn't anymore. Yup. Fair and square, we were both in truck full of trouble.

'Same thing. Can you please explain why you were looking for him?' I asked, sensing I wouldn't like the answer.

'The witches. They cursed him.' Pam muttered. 'Just wait, I'll be at your place in twenty minutes.' And she clicked off.

Oh my god. Cursed. As in _A witch cursed him_. What had Eric done this time?

I turned to look at him. He was sitting at my kitchen table, his head in his hands, looking desperate.

'The Witches. They cursed you!' I said.

'I guess.' He shrugged.

'Did they remove your brain or something?' I tried, getting more and more frustrated with each passing minute. Eric was _never _not in control. _Never_. And now, he was being about as helpful as a five years old.

'Don't be so harsh. I just remember meeting up with the witches to discuss business and the next thing I know, I was running behind your car and you couldn't hear me calling your name because of your darn evil music. What kind of a song was that anyways?' he growled.

'I'm sorry but this is just way too much. What kind of business were you doing with the witches?' I asked, taking his big hands into mine as I sat opposite him at the table. He looked up at me, sighing.

'Okay. You don't remember either...' I completed for him. The bond was now flooding me with his emotions: frustration, incomprehension and lots of relief. He was relieved by my presence, I gathered.

We sat there in complete silence for a few minutes and next thing I knew, Pam was at the door. I pulled Eric to the door with me since I wasn't entirely sure how far that radius went just yet. I invited Pam in and we resumed our places around the kitchen table plus Pam. I offered them both some warm True Blood and as they drank, I tried to sum up our situation.

'What the hell happened Pam? He doesn't seem to remember much.' I said, jutting my chin at Eric who looked as if he were having some downtime, starring at my nightdress. Whatever.

'The witches, the ones that came in Fangtasia the other night when you came to visit. They wanted a percentage of our yearly income in exchange for not bothering us. As you surely can guess, Eric doesn't take well to being threatened and he basically told them to fuck off. Not much of a diplomat as you might also have noticed. So they cursed him. As I gather, he cannot be far from a person in particular. And that person seems to be you. He was with us and the next minute he was running barefoot and shirtless out of Fangtasia...'

'Oh no. Oh no!' I complained, pretending to bang my head on the table. 'What did I ever do to deserve this?' I said. For the first time since I'd met her, Pam started giggling. Eric didn't seem to understand what she found so funny so he just furrowed his brow and gulped his True Blood.

'Did the curse affect his mental health?' I murmured at Pam. Now she was truly laughing out loud. For Christ's sake!

'What would make you think I'm mentally disabled?' Eric asked, which only caused Pam to double over in laughter.

'Oh my' she choked 'I think I haven't found anything this funny since the Prohibition!' Ha, ha, yeah right, the good ol' days...Vampire humour.

'Because you're acting like a complete nutcase!' I exploded at Eric. His eyes widened and I saw anger flash through his eyes.

'Don't talk to me that way, Sookie.' He growled, his hand curling around my throat, menacingly.

'Alright. You're cursed. You're stuck with me. Hell, I'm stuck with you. Now what? What do we do?' I asked Pam. She had regained her usual composure and was looking serious as hell.

'I don't know Sookie. I just know that the witches can't get him. Their chief, she covets him. She wants to mate with him or something.'

'Ew.' I muttered. Jealous me, huh? 'Fine. So what are we gonna do? I have to keep him here?'

'If you'd be kind enough.' Pam said. 'On our end, we'll try to find out what curse she laid on him and how to get rid of it. Do you have a place he can sleep in?'

'Yes, in my bedroom closet. Bill made this trap door in the floor for the few times he slept over.' I replied gloomily. Eric looked up at me.

'Thank you Sookie. I'm sorry for disrupting your routine like that.' He said.

'No biggy eh...' I replied. It suddenly dawned on me that I couldn't leave the house during the day when he'd be resting. 'Fuck.' I whispered. I rarely swore but this time, the situation definitely called for it.

'What?' Pam asked.

'I can't spend however long you'll need to figure this out stranded here! I need to work and eat and all.' I replied, trying to keep calm.

'Can't you work the night shift?' Eric asked. 'I could accompany you and sit somewhere I guess.'

'I'd have to ask Sam. I'm pretty sure that can be arranged. But that still means I'll have to stay in the house all day long.' I groaned.

After discussing some more the problem at hand, Pam said good bye and promised she'd keep us informed as soon as she had more information. The moment she left and I heard her car purr away in the night, I slid down the wall on which I had been leaning and put my head to my knees.

'Why, why, why, why!' I murmured, massaging my stiff neck. 'You're just trouble!' I snapped at Eric, angry.

He simply sat down in an armchair in the living room and looked at me as if I was the most amusing thing to watch in the house.

'Why me?' I whined, frowning at him.

'The fuck do I know?' Eric barked, scratching his head thoughtfully. 'I just know that I had to be here.'

'And of course you chose to go barefoot and half-naked.' I snickered, ironic.

'You didn't seem to mind.' He purred, a smile on his lips.

'So we have to be together all the time? As in all the freaking time? Do I have to sleep in your coffin too?' I said, furious.

'No, I don't think it's that drastic. Though I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you.' He replied, flirty as usual.

That time I lost it. I stood and smacked him hard across the face. He looked up at me, his fangs popping out. In an instant, he had me sitting on the couch and he was looming over me, very, very angry.

'I've had a tough night, Sookie. Don't provoke me.' He growled. I could sense his anger just fine, but there was also lust, excitement underneath it all. Big player, I thought.

'I think I rather have good reasons to want to stake you right now.' I replied, proud as a hen.

'I should bite you for being so insolent.' He roared, his anger receding.

'You'd enjoy it too much.' I replied, taunting him. 'Now if you'll excuse me' I said, standing up and away from him, I much need my beauty sleep.' I tried to walk towards my room but he wouldn't follow. I turned back around and gave him my killer look. He seemed to get the point and followed at a certain distance.

I walked to my bathroom and closed the door behind my, locking it. I washed my face and brushed my teeth and then barged out to go to my bed. I slumped into it and held on to a pillow, turning off my night stand lamp to sleep. A few minutes later, Eric slipped under the covers with me. He was wearing close to nothing. Surprised, I almost jumped out of bed and turned on the lamp. He was wearing the tiniest underwear I had ever seen on a man. Especially one of his..._size_. It was a red little Speedo cut silk boxer. I took my gaze away from it, stunned. Jesus, the man was _huge_! I looked up at his face. His eyes were questioning

'What are you doing?' I simply asked, my arms consciously covering my cleavage.

'I figured since I couldn't be far from you, and since it feels infinitely better when I'm close to you, that I could keep you company whilst you slept.' And it made sense in a way. I did feel physically better when he was close. I guessed it was either the blood bond or the curse. Either way, I just shrugged and turned the lamp off before crawling back under the covers. He scooted towards me, spooning me, his arm dropped protectively over my waist. I actually felt good in his arms. The man was gorgeous after all.

'You'll definitely be needing new boxers.' I muttered before I closed my eyes. He laughed softly and I lolled myself to sleep.


	13. Yours Truly

**Hello my darlings! I'm sooo sorry I couldn't update sooner, but I was working all day. I had trouble writing this chapter, don't know why. Hopefully it doesn't bore you loll I know it's a bit short, but I'll try to make the next one longer :) **

**Enjoy! Btw I had some comments about the curse, the way I see it is the distance doesn't matter all that much mostly because I believe it varies on the state of mind Eric and Sookie are in. They will come to realise eventually that they can influence how far apart they can be. **

**Also, I wanted to explain something about my Eric. IMO, the Eric from TB is a lot more modern than the one from SVM and I do like that improvement to the character that AB did. Indeed, I found it somewhat strange that a man who has lived through centuries did not adapt better to the cultural changes such as the vocabulary and such. I'm not criticizing CH's work (I mean I'm in complete awe of it), but I must admit I prefer a more modern and edgy Eric (Alexander Skarsgard is one yummy piece of cake :)). So yeah, my Eric is a sort of mix between the one from the cocky TB one and the somewhat more tender one from the SVM.**

**Reviews are as always welcomed! I lurve them :)**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo enjoyy!**

When I awoke the next morning, I was alone in my bed. I gave and early call to Sam and explained the situation to him as best as I could without sounding completely crazy. Which I probably did anyways, but whatever, he agreed, pleased to be of some help to me. So I was good to work only the night shifts. With Eric in the bar, watching me. God, life was a pain in the ass, sometimes.

I found that I could actually move all around the first floor with Eric sleeping in the hidey hole but the moment I tried to go down the first steps of the porch, I found that I couldn't go any further. It was as if I had an invisible leash tying me to Eric. This was really going to be bloody annoying. I retreated back to the kitchen where I immediately felt better. The proximity with Eric seemed to soothe me, whilst every time I tried to get away from him, it was as if someone was sucking energy out of me. The curse rendered me incapable to take myself away from me. That would please the smug bastard, I could swear it.

I ate breakfast and then decided to clean the house. If I couldn't go anywhere, I might as well do some cleaning. I found that scrubbing every single inch of my kitchen and living room kept my thoughts away from all my troubles. Which were quite numerous at the time being... That kept me busy all afternoon and I stopped only once to fix myself a quick lunch. After cleaning the entire first floor, I read for a while one of the books Eric had gotten for me and realised the sun was soon going to set. I felt filthy after the whole cleaning frenzy and decided to take a bath. It was quite awkward relaxing in the bubbly water with Eric just a few feet away, sleeping in my closet. After my bath, I dried my hair and dabbed on some makeup. My being on house-arrest didn't mean I had to look neglected. I put on a nice skirt and a tank and returned to the kitchen where I was cooking when a pair of arms around my waist surprised me.

'Jesus Christ! You scared me half to death!' I yelped, spinning around to stare at him.

'Let me make up for that.' He whispered, cupping my chin for a quick chaste kiss on my lips. I felt my stomach flutter and my heartbeat quickened as a warmth spread between my thighs. Damn him and his mouth. I pulled back, my eyes closed, trying to regain control of the situation.

'It's not because you're in my house that you get to act as my boyfriend.' I muttered to him once my breathing had returned to normal. The man always managed to render me as consistent as a pile of putty. I gazed at his beautiful features and noted for the first time he was only wearing jeans. Nothing else. And boy did he have a nice chest.

'I could hardly be a _boyfriend_' he snickered, sniffing curiously at the food that was slowly cooking in my pan. He was right. He was nothing of a boy. And he was not friendly. He was just a lustful undead Viking.

'So what do you want to do tonight?' I asked, curious. What did he do of his evenings when he was cursed by witches and had to drag a human with him everywhere?

'You don't have plans?' He asked, smirking. 'Not taking the _dog_ for a walk, are we?' He teased. Werewolves and Vampires did not have such a good relationship. And Eric was a smug possessive bastard of a Vampire.

I frowned and turned back to my chicken breast which were now almost ready.

'It would be quite complicated with you in tow now, wouldn't it?' I replied, glancing at him over my shoulder. He was now sitting at the table, playing with my salad.

'Do you mind?' I said, snatching it away from him. 'I actually intend to eat that.' I muttered, annoyed. Did the man have no manners at all?

'It smells repulsive.' He said, smiling at me. I threw him the tablecloth and turned back to my pan, putting my chicken in a plate before sitting at the table with him.

'Blood smells repulsive.' I countered.

'Not yours.'

'Part fairy, remember?' I said, haughty. I took a huge forkful of salad and pointedly shoved it in my mouth. 'Dee-licious.' I teased.

'If you say so. I'd rather eat your tablecloth.' Eric replied, amused.

'What would happen if you ate some normal food? Would it turn to ash in your mouth?' I questioned, remembering some things I had read in books about vampires.

Eric cocked his head to the side, stifling a laugh.

'Not quite. It just tastes awful and doesn't satisfy us in any way.'

'When was the last time you had any?' I asked. I chewed on my chicken, downing it with a gulp of Coca-Cola.

'I can't remember. A few centuries ago I guess. Now what's with all the questions?'

'Well if we're to spend all that time together, I figured it'd be good for me to know you better.' I replied. His company was quite entertaining I found. And it was good to have someone to speak to after the last few weeks I had spent mourning my relationship with Bill.

'Alright. Can I ask you some questions too?' I realised for the first time how unlike his usual self he was around me. I strangely liked him more for that. He seemed to be truly interested in anything I had to say and observed my every move with interest, as if he'd never watched a human that closely.

'Sounds fair.' I said. 'Me first. Why won't you put on a shirt?' I bit my lower lip, playful.

'Because you like the view.' He replied, arrogant. 'When was the first time you dreamt of me?'

The man was playing tough, I thought. I decided to be honest.

'The night after you tricked me into sucking those bullets out of your chest.'

'What did you dream about?' He had inched closer to me, his hands on mine on the table. I was suddenly not hungry at all. Not for food, anyways. His hair fell on his forehead in the sexiest way. And he was simply gorgeous. I almost forgot to breathe.

'That's two questions.' I finally responded, gazing at our joined hands.

'I never liked playing fair.' Eric said.

'Why does that not surprise me?' I asked, amused. 'Why did you want me to suck those bullets out?' I asked him.

'Because I've wanted to possess you the moment I saw you at Fangtasia and I knew that if you'd had my blood, I could find out for sure if I stood a chance.' He replied, blunt as ever.

'Possess me...' I giggled. 'No one possesses me.'

His hand suddenly cupped my chin and he brought my face closer to his, staring with interest at my eyes. His thumb was caressing my lips and my jaw line. I almost purred in delight. What the hell was wrong with me?

'You're too wild to be possessed. I only hope you'll let me tame you one day.' His voice was like liquid velvet. 'My turn.' He said, his voice a low growl. My skin was now hot and my panties were wet from my arousal. My libido was skyrocketing every single time his skin touched mine. I could always blame it on my recent abstinence. He was going to be the end of me. I suddenly blushed when I realised that my arousal surely was no secret to him with the bond connecting us since I could clearly feel his lust. The sudden flow of blood to my cheeks seemed to hypnotise him and I saw his fangs drawn. I waited, eagerly, for his next question.

'Do you want to fuck me, Sookie?' He asked, gazing at my through his half closed lids. I almost whimpered and pulled away so his skin was no longer touching mine. I stood up abruptly, shoving my plate in the sink and opening the fridge.

'Care for a True Blood?' I said, my breathing shallow. He grinned, like a cat that ate the cream and nodded, silently. I popped the bottle in the microwave and pointedly looked at the counter while it warmed. I did not hear him stand until he was pressed against my backside, his erect length on my lower back. He grabbed a handful of my hair and pushed it out of his way, nuzzling my neck.

'I'm still waiting for your answer, Miss Stackhouse.' He breathed on my neck. I gasped and held on the counter for dear life. My mind was flooded with images of us going at it on my counter, on my kitchen table, on my couch, on my bed, up against the wall. Sweet Jesus.

'What do you want me to say?' I sighed, grabbing the now perfectly warmed bottle of True Blood. 'Your drink's ready.' I whispered, his mouth still sending shivers down my spine. He took the bottle and leaned against the opposite counter, drinking his True Blood. His erection was quite apparent with his tight jeans and I had to concentrate to look away.

'What do you want to do tonight?' I asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

'We could have sex on your kitchen table.' He suggested, grinning.

'Oh for crying out loud!' I snapped, storming out of the kitchen and grabbing my book. I sat in an armchair and pretended to read.

'What exactly are you doing?' He asked, a hint of a smile in his voice.

'I'm reading, you dimwitted cowboy.' I replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

'With your book upside down?' He pointed.

'What's it to you anyways? Don't you have anything useful to do except being a pain in the ass?' I asked him, my nails digging in the fabric of the couch.

'We could test the curse; see how far we can go. Could be useful.' He said, serious.

I stood up and followed him out the door into my backyard.

'Now what?' I asked him, shivering.

'Walk as far as you can.' He ordered. Once I was a good few meters away from him, I found myself incapable of going further. He seemed lost in his thoughts and I waited for his approval to move.

'What about flying?' I asked him, surprising him.

He came back to stand next to me and hovered up into the sky. He was about fifteen meters over me when I suddenly felt my feet leave the ground. Oh Lord.

'ERIC!' I yelped, trying to balance myself. He stared down at me and in the bat of my eyelids, I was cradled in his arms, safely on the ground.

'We can't physically part.' I muttered to him, stating the obvious.

'Want me to take you for a flight?' He offered.

'I'm afraid of heights.' I admitted, enjoying our proximity.

'Just don't look down. Keep your eyes on mine.' He whispered, holding me closer to him. I wrapped my legs around his hips for support and my arms around his muscular neck. We could have passed for lovers, entangled like this. I shrugged that thought away and let Eric take flight. The feeling was incredible. It was like floating freely in a pool but without the weight of the water pressing me down. There was no more up or down, just freedom all around. I laughed gleefully, remembering not to look down. We hovered above my house for a few minutes than he took us over to Bill's. I finally glanced down, curious. I almost fainted. We were _very_ high. I whined in fear and he grabbed my chin to look me in the eyes.

'I won't drop you. Don't worry.' He said. 'Trust me.'

I nuzzled my face in the crook of his neck and let him fly us back towards my house and the safety of the ground. The moment he let me go, I started shivering again and he noticed it.

'Come here.' He whispered, his voice husky with desire. I took a tentative step towards him and he wrapped his arms around me, his big hands lost in my hair. I felt good and safe in his arms. I placed a tentative kiss on his cool skin and he growled. Standing on the tip of my toes, I placed a kiss on his lips, sliding my tongue on his fangs. He bent me backwards to capture my lips, bruising them with his strength and hunger. I didn't mind one bit and moaned in his mouth, my hands tangling in his hair. I let go of his mouth and trailed kisses down his neck towards his bare chest. I gently nibbled his nipple and I felt him tense against me, his erection now pressed against my stomach.

'Bite me.' He hushed, pressing my mouth urgently against his chest. I looked up at him, unsure. 'Please.' He whispered. God did I want to do him.

I bit down as hard as I could, drawing blood from him and making him curse in his native language. I almost pulled back but he pressed my head to his chest once more. So I gulped down two mouthfuls of his delicious blood before returning to his lips. He licked his blood off my lips, groaning.

I finally stepped back, trying to catch my breath. I felt warm all over and wanted to kiss him some more.

He smiled his slow, lust filled grin at me, his eyes glazed with desire, and then, he suddenly looked up, alert. I could hear the slow buzz of a dozen minds around us, hiding in the shadows of the surrounding forest.

'Fucking weres.' He simply hissed before grabbing me and dashing towards the house.


	14. Kiss Me and Kill Me

**FINALLY ANOTHER CHAPTER! FINALLY SOME SMUT. My first attempt, don't be too harsh on me lolll Hopefully you enjoy this chapter (it is substentially longer than the previous ones :))**

**REviews, reviews, reviews.**

**P.S. Once again, I remind you that I don't take everything from the show directly, such as the Nan story lol enjoy it :) xoxoxoxoxox**

**LOVE Y'ALL!**

The moment Eric let go of me, I felt panicky. Russell's wolves were circling the house. I could faintly read the minds of a few of them but mostly, as it was with most supes, their thoughts were just a bundle of emotion. They were really, really pissed. Damn.

'How many are there?' Eric asked me, looking out the window at the lawn. The doors were all locked, I was sure of that. But that wouldn't keep them away.

'Eleven.' I whispered. 'Russell's' I informed him.

'Do you have a gun?' He asked, obviously in combat mode.

'Yes, Jason insisted I keep one here since I live alone.' I replied, heading for the cabinet in the hall where I kept the shot-gun. I made sure it was charged and dropped a couple more bullets in my skirt pocket.

'Can you fire it?' Eric added, still looking out the window, preparing for the fight that would surely ensue.

'Are you kidding? I couldn't sing if my life depended on it but I can sure as hell fire a shotgun.' I replied, proud.

'A Southern Belle who can kick some ass. I like.' He said, a grin stretching his perfect lips.

'What's the plan?' I asked, joining him at the window. I could now see the werewolves on the lawn. They were positioned in a half circle, obviously waiting for us to make the first move. So we did. Going up to the second floor, I settled at the spare bedroom's window whilst Eric guarded the door. I held the gun to my shoulder and aimed at the wolf in the middle and fired. I got him in the shoulder and he collapsed, turning back to his human form. He growled in pain. Damn it, he wasn't dead. But I sure as hell knew he wouldn't be messing with us anymore. The detonation was the signal for the others to close on the house. I had time to shoot down a second one. I got this one in the leg and he yelped like a puppy before collapsing on my porch steps. Gross. There'd be blood everywhere...

I then heard the main door being knocked in and the yelps of the wolves as they ran up the stairs. I retreated to a corner and aimed at the closed bedroom door. Eric was ready to pounce. When the door crashed open, I fired the shot gun, taking down a third wolf whilst Eric attacked. He was graceful even as he tore the wolves limb per limb. I didn't have a second to feel guilty about us killing so many of them. They wanted us dead, and I dearly wished to live. Two wolves were able to pass by a very busy Eric and while he was occupied with the remaining five, I tried to hit them with the shotgun which was no use in such a hand-to-hand combat. The vampire blood I'd had gave me the strength to knock one of the two wolves off long enough to smack the second one on the head. Though tough little beasts, the wolf still yelped in pain and retreated towards the doorway where Eric was now engaged in a one-on-one duel with the biggest of them. Eric's hands were wrapped menacingly around the wolf's neck and he was trying to rip its head off. I swung the shotgun at the wolf who was still trying to jump on me. He managed to bite my arm and I winced in pain, a small scream escaping my lips. The two wolves closed in on my, cornering me. Jesus. I could feel my blood flowing from my arm and god did it hurt. When they attacked, I put my arms up to protect my face. I then think I must have fainted when the teeth of the second one ripped my hand because the next thing I knew, there was a tongue licking my wounds. And cool hands checking my body for other injuries.

'Are you alright?' Eric grunted, his mouth on my arm.

'Yes, thanks to you.' I sighed, opening my eyes to look at him. He was covered in were blood. I was covered with a mix of both my blood and that of the two wolves that had tried to take me down. I looked around the room and almost gagged. There was blood _everywhere_. And most of the wolves were back into their human forms, dead or dying. Some of them were missing some limbs (yuck) whilst others were just knocked out good. I felt a strong emotion from the bond and turned my head back to Eric who was still taking care of my injuries. He was horny as hell. Apparently, blood and sex was the best combination in a vampire's mind.

'Have my blood. You'll heal much faster.' He muttered, biting his wrist and putting it to my lips.

'Won't that only make our bond stronger?' I whimpered, tears slowly rolling on my face. I definitely had had too many emotions for one night.

'I don't want you to scar. You're too beautiful for that.' He simply said, putting his bloodied wrist to my lips. I sucked at it for a few seconds than turned my head away. I already felt better and could see that my wounds were closing, painfully but closing none the less. Eric took me in his arms and brought me down in the bathtub. I understood he didn't want me bleeding all over my new rug and was quite grateful for his smart thinking.

'Wait here' he whispered to me. He then took onto himself to getting rid of the evidence, I gather. At some point I heard him growl. Obviously he couldn't get to all the bodies because of the stupid curse. I tried to lift myself out of the tub to go and help him but I slumped back, exhausted. I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes again, Eric was in the shower, getting rid of all the blood he'd been covered with during the fight. The sight of his naked body dripping with water almost made me meow like a hungry cat. The man was absolutely breathtaking. His muscles rippled under his skin as he drew his hands over his chest, lazily massaging his skin. I most have whimpered in wanton because he turned his head and grinned at me, turning the water off and grabbing a towel which he wrapped around his hips. Why oh why, I thought, glad I had had a sight of his ass. In an international butt competition, Eric would obviously win. The man had an ass women only dreamt of. His entire body was in fact sculptural. Damn him and his Viking ancestry. The man was absolute eye candy. Yet he was there, standing in all his glory in my bathroom.

'Enjoying the sight?' he whispered, huskily, kneeling next to the tub.

'I don't mind.' I replied, smirking a bit. My arms were still painful but the skin was now closing neatly.

Eric lifted my back off the side of the tub to remove my sticky shirt to toss it away. He repeated the process with my bloodied skirt. I was now in my underwear, quivering for his touch. I was glad I had opted for my new navy blue lace panties and bra. He looked at my body with want and unconsciously licked his bottom lip, causing my breath to catch in my throat.

'You're covered in blood. Though I love yours, the weres' reeks.' He explained his impromptu stripping of my clothes. He then removed my bra and panties before I had a chance to stop him. I lay there, completely naked in front of him. And I did not care one bit. He took in the sight of me with a purr before he had the water running warm and reassuring. I shivered, my eyes imploring him to join me. Which he did, sitting behind me. My back was pressed against his firm chest, his length trapped between us. I could feel he was definitely enjoying the situation. The throbbing between my thighs intensified. I wanted him to touch me _everywhere_.

When the bathtub was filled and the water sloshed lazily against my breasts, Eric wet my hair slowly and delicately, drawing a moan from my lips. He then grabbed the shampoo and started massaging my scalp. This was heavenly. His hands were skilled at everything he did, I realised, a pleased grin on my lips, my lids half closed. He planted a kiss on my neck and I turned my head to offer him my lips. He took them hungrily, sending shivers down my spine. He resumed massaging my scalp and then let go of my lips to cup his hands and draw water in my hair, ridding it of the shampoo. I moaned because his lips weren't on mine anymore. He finished cleaning my hair, his hand massaging my shoulders sensually.

'Kiss me.' I ordered him, craning my neck to nip at the sensitive skin right below his jaw.

'Greedy.' He whispered against catching my mouth with his, slipping his tongue between my lips to massage my tongue. I was breathless. I slid my hand down his chest and took a handful of his length. He had quite the gracious plenty, I thought, caressing it. He groaned and bit my lower lip, drawing a few precious droplets of my blood that he licked thoroughly.

'If you don't stop now, there'll be no stopping _me_.' He growled.

'Who says I want you to stop?' I replied, tightening my grip on his length. He grabbed a sponge and lathered some of my vanilla shower gel on it and then started washing the blood off my cleavage, his thumbs making circular motions around my nipples. He pinched them roughly which caused me to arch my back against his body.

'Eric.' I moaned, as his mouth trailed fire down my neck. His hands snaked down my body towards my thighs and he gently washed my legs, torturing me into a lustful frenzy. His hands finally reached my wet center and he hissed when he felt how ready I was for him. I thought I was going to implode the moment he slipped his skilful fingers in me, one than two. He curled his fingers so that he was caressing my most sensitive spot, making me whimper.

'Whatever you do, don't stop now.' I pleaded, my hand massaging his length. His hands increased their rhythm. I thought I was going to come, so I let go of his length to keep his hands busy at whatever wonders they were doing down there.

'Oh god!' I moaned softly. I could feel my release coming and when his thumb grazed my sensitive nub, I felt myself go limp in his arms, my insides clenching around his fingers. My mouth formed a silent 'O' and I bit my lower lip not to scream.

'You'll be the end of me, Sookie.' He whispered to me, his fangs scraping the skin from my jaw to the nape of my neck. His hand slid up my stomach and he allowed me to taste myself off his long fingers. I mumbled something incomprehensible and a low growl rippled through his chest, his length twitching for attention.

He stopped caressing me and slipped out of the bath, leaving me alone and panting. He dragged me out after him and wrapped me in a towel, covering my face with kisses.

'You are so beautiful.' He murmured in my ear, biting my earlobe. When we were dry, he carried me in a hurry to my bed where he dropped me softly, joining me quickly.

'Make love to me.' I begged him, devouring his lips.

'I thought you'd never ask, my darling.' He put his weight on me, balancing himself on his forearms, drawing my wrists in one of his powerful hands. I was completely at his mercy with my arms over my head, my wet hair plastered to my chest. With his free hand, he grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my face to his and kissed me long and deep.

'I've been wanting to do this ever since you came to Fangtasia dressed in that naughty little dress of yours.' He hushed, letting go of my hair to massage my left breast, making me quiver. I'd just had an orgasm, a mind blowing one, at that, and yet I was already ready, begging even, for round two. I would have thought that my recent brush with death would have made me want nothing more than to crawl into bed, but I realised that, not unlike vampires, violence awoke this primal desire to live in me and it included having mind-shattering sex with this godlike Viking Vampire who was now drawing his nails down my thigh, spreading my legs with his knee.

'Fuck me.' I breathed, surprising myself both with the words and the blunt expression of my current need.

'Your wish is my command.' He replied, his length pressed at my entrance. I gasped when he entered me, stretching me in a way I had never been before. No wonder, the man was huge, I scolded myself, mentally. He didn't move for a few seconds, letting me adjust to his size.

'You won't break me.' I muttered, kissing my way down his neck and to his shoulder. When he thrust the first time, I bit down on his shoulder and he grunted in Swedish. He then started moving faster and faster, not letting me rest for a moment. I was grateful for that because I wanted nothing more at the moment than for him to render me numb with his skills. Suddenly, he stopped, drawing himself out of me.

'Eric, don't stop.' I begged him, trying to bring himself back into me by clawing at his wonderful behind.

'Sit up' he ordered me, cupping my face with one of his hands whilst he kneeled on the bed. I obeyed and he grabbed me by the waist and installed me on his knees, straddling him, my breasts pressed on his bare chest. My thighs were spread on either sides of his and his wet length was stuck between our stomachs. I arched my stomach so that my core was rubbing against his length, motioning for him to take me. He grinned.

'This is right.' He simply said, lifting me so that I fell down on his length. I whined as he spread me once more and rode him slowly. He grabbed my chin with one of his hand while his other held on to my hip and behind, leading me as I grinded on him.

'Look at me' he commanded, his eyes never leaving mine. I was close to crashing over the top and I could feel through the bond that he was too. I rode him faster and he held be tight, our bodies one. We hit is at the same time, both surprising the other. My lips parted as a deep animalistic moan escaped me and he grunted in Swedish, smashing our mouths together. I could feel my insides milking him dry. And yet, the moment we parted our lips, he was ready for more.

'Do you ever tire?' I asked, knowing his answer before he said it.

'For you, never.' He laid me back on the bed, covering every inch of my body with his lips. He slowly nibbled at my nipples, his attention completely on the task at hand which was obviously to give me more orgasms than I'd ever had in such a short time. I was like putty in his hands and he was making me whatever he wanted me to be. I had never wanted a man so bad.

'What are you doing?' I gasped when his fangs grazed the sensitive skin of my right nipple.

He didn't answer and simply bit down, his tongue caressing me into oblivion as he sucked slowly. The feeling was very erotic and I arched my back towards his lips to give him better access. He looked at me from his current ministrations and sucked harder. I whimpered and closed my eyes but he let go of my breast and growled:

'Look at me.' I gladly obliged him and stared in wonder as he slid down my body and lifted my thigh over his shoulder, his mouth hovering at my entrance. He then went down on me, his skilled tongue licking and sucking. I pulled his hair and pushed him further down on me. Suddenly, his fingers were in me again and he turned his head to the inside of my thigh, his fangs down. I knew what he was going to do. I stupidly remembered how Bill had always told me vampires had many ways to draw blood from a human and I wondered why he had never done it in such a way to me. I pushed him out of my thoughts and concentrated on Eric's mouth kissing and sucking at the skin of my thigh while his fingers probed my core imperiously. He then bit down on my thigh and I shook all over with my release. I had never felt anything quite like that and I gladly let him know.

'Oh god, oh god. Where'd you learn stuff like that?' I managed to pant once he pulled back up to rest on me, our bodies both slick with sweat.

'I didn't learn. I was always this good.' He replied, a wide grin on his lips, dropping a kiss on my parted lips.

'You smug bastard.' I replied, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. He laughed softly and pulled me to his side, cuddling me. I caressed his skin with the tip of my fingers, catching my breath slowly.

'I'm your smug bastard.' He said, seriously, his hand on my hip, drawing little circles.

'What of the weres?' I muttered, gazing dreamily in his beautiful blue eyes, suddenly remembering the reason for our shared bath.

'Forget about them. You're safe now.' He replied, his hand pushing my wet locks away from my forehead to look at me. 'You have the most wonderful body. And smile.' He added when I grinned.

'You are beautiful.' I simply breathed to him.

'Beautiful?' He said, cocking his eyebrow, humorous. 'Not handsome or hot?' He planted an open mouth kiss on my throat.

'Yes, all of the above. And you have the most gorgeous behind.' I added, yanking his hair so he'd look up at me.

'Glad you like it. I kind of like it myself.'

'Oh shut up and kiss me.' I giggled, guiding his face to mine for another searing kiss. I then curled to my side and let him spoon me as he dragged the covers over us. The next thing I knew, I was sleeping, content as a cat that ate the cream. I could definitely get used to this.

The next morning, I awoke with the feeling that life would from now on be very different for me. I was alone in bed and when I gazed at my alarm clock, I realised it was well past morning. With all my nightly activities, no wonder I had slept this late. I was working that night and I slipped with annoyance out of my bed. My entire body felt as if it had been beaten with a blunt object and I knew very well what that object was. I blushed, remembering all the things that had happened on my bed mere hours ago. I went to the shower and got ready for work before I went around the house to look at the damage the recent fight might have done. There wasn't a single trace of the werewolves' attack. Even outside, the bodies were gone. I was quite reassured for a couple of dead bodies on my lawn surely would not please the authorities. Talking about the authorities, I was quite intrigued when I saw Andy's car pulling up in my driveway as I was fixing myself some breakfast. I went to the door.

'Hello Sookie.' Andy grumbled.

'Hey, Andy?' I said, allowing him in. I offered him some coffee which he politely refused. I sat down to eat my toasts before they turned cold.

'So what brings you here today?' I questioned, curious.

'It's Jason.' Andy muttered, looking at his big hands.

'What about him?' I asked, suddenly worried.

'He's disappeared. Crystal, his girlfriend, reported it this morning.' Andy dropped, looking at me with a displeased face. 'They were together last night and then she drove him home and this morning she called him and he wouldn't answer. So she drove out to his place and looked for him. His front door was opened and he wasn't in the house. And there was blood on his porch steps...' Andy finished, gloomily.

'He's not here.' I said, my voice white with anguish.

'If you hear anything at all, you tell us immediately. There's a team at his place trying to figure out who's blood it was on his porch.' Andy said before walking back to the door. I followed him and opened the door for him.

'Please find him,' was all I managed to choke before I closed the door on Andy, tears rolling down my cheeks. Where the hell was Jason?

I sniffed and blew my nose before resuming my breakfast. I wasn't hungry anymore. I threw the content of my plate in the garbage and started pacing in the house. I felt desperate about not being able to go out of my house to read some people's brains regarding Jason's disappearance. I would be able to scan some minds tonight at Merlotte's, but till then, there was nothing I could do.

I felt like crawling in my closet and cuddling with Eric. I needed his advice with this whole situation so I decided to wait for him to wake up. It was now close to three in the afternoon so he would soon be awake, an hour or two and I'd be able to pull him out of his sleep if he wasn't already up on his own. I called Tara to know if she'd heard anything regarding Jason's absence but she wouldn't pick up. I suddenly felt a sense of dread crawl under my skin: what if she'd turned on him and done something stupid. I immediately brushed that thought out of my mind. Tara would _never_ do something so foolish and cruel. I tried to read a bit to pass the time and when I couldn't handle it anymore, I closed the curtains of my room tightly on the decaying light of day and crawled into the closet, opening the trapdoor. He was sleeping peacefully, his body so still he looked dead. Of course, he was, I reminded myself. One of his arms was curled under his head and he was not wearing anything but a pair of loose pyjama pants. An old pair of Jason's, I noticed. I tentatively brushed my fingers against Eric's lips and yelped in surprise when a hand grabbed me and pulled me down on top of him.

'Waking a sleeping man, how cruel.' He muttered, his eyes still closed. He opened them slowly, and stared at me with a hint of a grin on his lips.

'Slept well?' I asked, reassured by the fact he was now awake.

'I had very naughty dreams. Of you and I having sex on every single surface of your house.' He replied, arrogant.

'My brother has disappeared.' I whispered, cuddling my head to his chest. He sat up slowly, me cradled on his lap in the hidey hole and brushed my hair with his fingers.

'What happened?' He asked, genuinely worried.

'His new girlfriend dropped him off at his place. She's a werepanther, if that's any help. And the next day she came looking for him, his door was opened and there was blood on his porch...' I finished, feeling my eyes fill with tears once more. 'He's all I have left.' I muttered.

'We'll find him Sookie.' He said. But for once, I had my doubts about Eric's powers. We were in a pile a shit and I didn't know if we'd be able to dig ourselves out with the curse, the witches, Debbie, Holly, Arlene, Tara and the whole werepanther business. I sighed heavily and kissed him chastely, pulling him out of the hole with me.

'I have to go to work.' I explained, showing him my uniform.

'I guess this means I'll have to hang out there the whole night?' He asked, curious.

'Well, yeah.' I replied. 'We have True blood!' I offered, beaming.

'Nothing compares to your taste.' He replied, his voice a deep rumble.

I smiled at him and took his hand.

'Please don't be your usual scary self in Merlotte?' I pleaded.

'Me? Scary?' He replied, grinning. We stepped out on the porch and headed towards my car. The sun had set and the night had fallen early as it always did this late in November. I was wrapped in my coat, freezing. He looked at my coat and then my car.

'You need a new coat. And a new car.' He simply said, wrapping me in his arms for a deep searing kiss.

'I don't have the money for that right now.' I simply said, my eyes telling him that I wouldn't take his pity or charity. I was about to slip in my car when Eric's brand new navy blue Corvette arrived on my driveway, Pam at the wheel. I had caught a glimpse of Lafayette driving Eric's red one so I assumed they had some sort of agreement I did not want to hear about.

'Pam!' I yapped when she slid out gracefully from behind the wheel.

'Eric, Sookie.' She coolly said. 'Eric asked me to drop off his car.' She simply explained.

'How goes the search for the witches?' I asked, heading for my car. Eric stopped me and I shrugged him off, questioningly.

'So far, nothing. I'll be back tomorrow night to give you an update if I find out anything. Till then.' Pam replied, a smirk on her lips. And then she dashed in the woods running.

'I'll drive us.' Eric said, gesturing for me to get in his flashy yet classy navy Corvette.

'Excuse me?' I asked, baffled. 'What's wrong with my car?'

'I don't fit in it, that's what's wrong.' He replied, smirking. I frowned and sat in the passenger seat, pouting.

'I was hoping to make a discreet entrance at Merlotte's.' I muttered, sour. 'Talk about discreet.'

Eric laughed and we soared into the night.


	15. The End is the Beginning is The End

**SUPER LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE TONIGHT' SORRY Y'ALL IN ADVANCE!**

**OKay first of all, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me reach 200 reviews. I can't honestly believe it :) I'm really fucking happy lol I hope I won't let you down and I'm sorry I haven't been writing as much the past few days but I'll keep to my word with a chapter per day or more as much as I can.**

**Second of all, I've received lots of comments about how selfish my Sookie sounds. I wanted to explain that it it harder to make he seem all nice and sweet when you get her POV and I think I take a lot of that impression from the books. Now I know a lot of people haven't read the books, but the books are all written from Sookie's POV and she does express her emotions a lot more than the somewhat more naive Sookie that Anna Paquin portrays in the show. My Sookie would be a hybrid of the two. I'm sorry if sometimes she does seem ungrateful towards Eric, but you do have to understand the man hasn't always been kind to her (series wise) whilst in the books, he's really sweet to her. My Eric being a mix of the two, I still base my fanfiction on the series' events (except for a few details). **

**Also, I want to thank you for your ideas and suggestions, they actually help me in finding new ways to surprise you all. Because unlike some other fanfictions I've read that were planned out from the begining, I'm kind of going with the flow and the inspiration.**

**Than I must absolutely give you my POV on the actual Fresh Blood episode whose previews inspired me this story. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone so if you haven't seen it, don't read the next paragraph :)**

**I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU! A) Eric's plan was INDEED to trick Russell. I simply did not expect the LETS MANACLE OURSELVES TO DEATH part. But hey, I respect the man, he's willing to die to save SOokie. I must mention that Eric becoming so selfless is simply too good to be true. I am so happy that Alan Ball has regained some sense in making Eric the good guy and also giving us the car scene where Bill and Sookie actually talk face to face. Am I the only one to think Bill was a BIT too quick in trying to deflate Eric's balloon, saying that Eric had been a jerk to Sookie from the beginning? Jealous much, Billshit? (Sorry all of you Bill fans, but I can't like a man who hurts our Sookie and steps in between Sookie and Eric... :)) I do believe we might be in for the long awaited revelation in the last episode which is to air (I'm weeping blood here... just kidding) only in two freaking weeks... And then we'll cry ourselves to sleep till January or March or June or god knows when for the Fourth Season to save us :) **

**Yvetta rocks, have I mentionned it?**

**B) I knew Eric would be the one to drink from her neck. And did you notice how soothing he tried to be, caressing her hair? Eric, you're my man :) (with fangs ;))**

**C) I love that Eric actually told Bill about his plan, showing pathetic Bill just how much he actually cares for Sookie.**

**D) Guys, Alexander Skarsgard is signed for Season 4. Obviously, he won't die :) and what I think is the reason for that is that Godric flamed up like a twig (fairy-bloodless) and Russell is even older than him so Russell has chances of burning a lot faster than Eric who will than be able to get to safety. For those of you who have watched the preview for the season finale (which sucks... I mean how bad do the previews for this series get compared to the actual thing?), Godric's soul saves Eric (at least that's what I gathered from Godric's ghostly form hovering over the parking lot). Meaning vampires have souls? Meaning they're not really dead? Ou lala, philosophical questions to ensue :)**

**E) Love the Pam and Eric relationship. And Eric's ringtone for Pam's calls hahahaha Oh and I might actually miss Russell. He's got a wicked sense of humour :) ****I just needed to mention that I teared up laughing when Eric said: You wanted my father's crown for your vast collection of meaningless shit. And Pam's lines when she's spraying Bill (LMFAO). And just Pam in general. **

**F) And I'M absolutely sick of the Arlene drama. And the Tara drama. Can't they get eaten or something? Whiny ladies, other than Ginger (LOVE GINGER YELLING :D HAHAH SHE IS FREAKING HILARIOUS, I MUST INCLUDE HER IN A CHAPIE HAHA), should be banned from the show. Sad for you Tara, and for you too Arlene, but shoo off...**

**THAT'S IT PEEPS, enjoy the chapie :) the chapie loves you if you review the chapie :) Critical review is always welcomed. I reread some of my chapters and realised there were some typos, I'm sorry for that but I have a shitty frenchy computer so english is kind of dead to the world for my version of Word loll when I have time, I'll proofread the whole Gizmo.**

**TA-DA :) Love you all, fellow readers :)**

When we pulled in the parking lot at Merlotte's Jessica was sitting in the steps that lead to the employee door. When she saw me, coming out of the flashy car, soon followed by a dashing Eric, she batted her lashes a few times, as if she couldn't believe what she was looking at.

'Sookie!' She yelped, dubious. 'And Eric?' she continued, staring at him as if he were Santa Clause with a chainsaw in his hands. The look was quite funny and unsettling.

'Hey!' I muttered, smiling sheepishly. Her mouth was shaped in a perfect 'O' as if she had just figured out something. She blushed (as much as a vampire can blush) when I approached her and I realised I must have smelt of Eric.

Eric was just looking smug and pleased, eyeing Jessica with obvious interest.

'I take it you didn't follow your maker to South America?' He asked her.

'Nope. And he can rot in hell for all I know.' Jessica snarled. She had taken it quite bad that not only had Bill abandoned her, but he'd been lying to me the whole time. I was quite flattered that she'd keep the feminine solidarity even in her state, but I felt sad that her relationship with Bill had flopped. Bill had been very good to her and he had taught her a lot.

'I like her.' Eric said to me, grinning slightly. I slapped his arm playfully, still feeling that hole Bill had left in my chest.

'Are you guys a...thing?' Jessica asked, almost pleased at the thought.

'Oh god no, NO!' I replied, trying to convince myself as much as her, I have to admit.

Eric just cocked his eyebrow at me and dismissed the question.

'Why are you guys together if that's not too much to ask? You having a date? I thought you were working tonight?' Jessica asked me.

'Not exactly.' I replied. 'Let's just say we are... incapacitated at the moment. And he needs to hang out with me for a while.'

'Oh. I see.' She retorted, smiling shyly. One thing I loved about Jessica is that she knew when to not ask more questions. I passed by her followed by Eric but then realised I yet had to explain the situation extensively to Sam and he wouldn't appreciate the Vampire Sheriff coming in through the back door. I retreated to the front door where everyone surely would notice our entrance (it was quite a hard thing to hide a man who towered a good 4-5 inches over the average male). I then decided it would be a lot more easier to just pretend like we were a thing as Jessica had said earlier so I grabbed Eric's hand and dragged him in inside. The air was already buzzing with the rumour of a Corvette being parked in the lot in front of the restaurant and the moment we passed the door, all the heads snapped in our direction. There were a few good seconds during which everyone, and by everyone I mean even Lafayette and Terry who were cooking, stared at us, their mouths almost hanging open. Eric just looked bored whilst I must have turned redder than the vinyl seats of the bar. I lifted myself on my tippy toes and pulled his chin towards mine to kiss him. He complied and gave me the longest, naughtiest kiss I'd ever received in public. Oh shit. Too bad for the good Christians of Bon Temps, I thought. Now that the matter of my relationship with Eric was settled for the people in the room, I needed to discuss with Sam.

The noises returned and people pretended to be busy with eating or wondering where the hell the ketchup was. I caught a few loose thoughts about Eric that made me stifle a laugh.

_...Jesus Christ, had men been like this in my days..._

_She didn't just do that did she? Wait till I tell Sarah..._

_...What a total slut! In public? And HIM?... Wish I could smooch him. Must be yummy..._

_...Is he for real? What's he doing with Sookie?_

_Is it considered cheating when you do it with a vampire? Because he's dead and all?_

_I'm sure she doesn't satisfy him. I mean with her being so small and weird..._

_Wonder if he goes both ways.._

Lafayette's thoughts were the last ones I caught and they made me stop dead in my track.

_What's he going to do to me this time? He can go to hell for all I know, monstrous bitch he is. Can he tell I've had V with Jesus? Damn it..._

Of course, the fact that Lafayette was scared by Eric did make sense since Eric had kept him prisoner for two weeks on the charge of selling V, but Lafayette now drove Eric's previous Corvette so I had assumed the Viking had made amends... Apparently not. I'd have to talk to him about that. I might be square with him but he owed Lafayette. And Lafayette doing V wasn't new, but who was Jesus?

Arlene was coming out of the bathroom when she spotted Eric and I for the first time. Her face distorted with anger and disgust and a feeling close to hatred. I didn't even want to listen to her thoughts, too afraid of what I might find there. She walked up to me and hissed at me.

'Fangbanger.' She muttered, frowning at me as if I were some particularly nasty kind of fungus. I was baffled by how much contempt she put in the word. I almost had to restrain Eric for him not to snap her like a twig. I put my hand on his arm, soothingly, begging him with my eyes not to do anything stupid. His demonstration of Vampire anger was enough to discourage Arlene from doing anything else and she just moved back to her tables, glancing with terror over her shoulder at Eric and me.

'_Fitta_.' Eric muttered. I looked at him, puzzled at the word he'd just used. He simply shrugged and turned his attention to Sam who had just come out of his office. He wasn't looking all that good tonight. In fact, he looked quite angry.

'Sookie can I speak to you in private?' Sam asked, looking with disgust at Eric.

'Not really. Eric has to be with me...' I tried to explain.

'What do you mean he has to?' Sam asked, annoyed and dumbfounded. I let down my shields for a few seconds, too nervous to concentrate on keeping them up. I caught Sam's train of mind: there were no complete ideas, just lots of anger, directed at pretty much everyone, me included.

I frowned, annoyed.

'I think you've got some explaining to do.' he said once Eric and I stood in his office.

'I don't think she owes you anything, _shifter_.' Eric said, his voice authoritative.

'It's okay, I trust him and he's never been anything but good to me.' I said, defending Sam. He was after all the best boss I'd ever had.

'Okay so what's the deal?' Sam said, looking at me and then at Eric and then back at me.

'Eric's been cursed and we cannot physically part. So I was kind of hoping he could just sit in a booth in my section and drink True Blood and do whatever whilst I'm working. And I was really hoping you wouldn't mind me working only night shifts because obviously he can't come out before that?' I tried, smiling sweetly at Sam, coating the pill with sugar.

'I told you already the night shifts were okay, but him being here...' Sam snarled. Shifters of all sorts and Vampires had this ongoing hate-party. I didn't exactly understand why they all hated each other so much when in fact they were all in the same boat concerning humankind, but I left that to their complicated politics.

'Well I can't really stuff him in my pocket now can I?' I replied, annoyed at Sam's displeasure with having Eric as a customer. 'I mean he's gonna pay his drink just like anyone. He's a client just like any other vamps you might have served. Why would it make a difference whether it's Bill or him?'

Sam simply sighed and nodded. Eric felt the need to add:

'I wouldn't mind being in your pocket, darling.'

I gave him a killer look and he stifled a laugh before sitting down in one of Sam's chairs.

'So we're good?' I asked Sam, putting on my most adorable smile. I knew that Sam rarely could refuse me when I pulled my Poor-Crazy-Sookie look on. He nodded and shook his head, annoyed. Sam patted me on the shoulder and I felt like asking him what was wrong with him but I didn't want to piss him off.

'You smell of him.' Sam muttered, looking at Eric over my shoulder. I stared at him and sighed.

'So what?' I replied, discouraged.

'You've been with him.' Sam simply dropped, as discouraged as I was but not for the same reasons obviously.

'This is none of your business.' I snapped. At the exact same time, Eric stood up and pulled me in his arms to kiss me. Sam was baffled by the vampire's boldness as was I. I gasped when Eric let go of my lips and blushed.

'She's mine. Don't pester her. I'll owe you for your hospitality.' Eric simply said to Sam before dragging me out of the office. I felt my stomach flutter at him saying I was his. I felt both annoyed and pleased at the same time. It was kind of sweet of him to take my defence in front of Sam like he did.

I tied my apron before offering a booth to Eric. He grabbed my hand before I left and planted a kiss on it.

'Don't let any of those moronic humans bring you down. You're special and way over them.' He said, trying to comfort me. I smiled at him and planted a kiss on his cheek, touched. I went to get him some True Blood. While I was warming it, Jessica joined me, a grin on her face.

'So you and Eric?' She asked, wrinkling her nose.

'I don't know what you're talking about.' I replied, my cheeks flushed. Could she really tell just from the smell? I thought, nervous.

'You smell of him.' She simply said, smiling kindly. 'I must admit I can't blame you. The man is delicious to look at!' she added, playfully. I smiled at her and went to give him his True Blood.

'Alcide's here.' Eric warned me when I dropped his bottle in front of him.

'Shit.' I mumbled. I left his table and turned towards the door and sure as my name is Stackhouse, Alcide was standing there, smiling at me.

'Hello beautiful' he hushed, taking my hand to draw me into his arms for a kiss. The moment he smelled me however, he pulled away and looked around the bar. He laid eyes on Eric and I could see he was not pleased at all.

'Alcide.' I muttered. What was I to say? Sorry, I can't be with you because I have a vampire in tow? A vampire I happened to sleep with just last night? And enjoyed it a whole bunch too?

'Why is he here anyways?' Alcide simply replied, trying to control his temper.

'He's been cursed. We can't part. Please don't be mad.' I said, very quickly. He looked at his feet and then at my pleading face. I could almost feel Eric's temper but I threw him a warning look. He stayed put in his booth.

'I'm not mad, Sookie. Just disappointed. I really enjoyed the other night.'

'Me too. We could go out again someday when I don't have Eric in my skirts.' I replied, immediately cursing myself for the poor choice of words. My relations with male these days were getting way too complicated for me, I thought.

'We'll see about that. I rather doubt he'll be letting you go now.' Alcide said, cocking his head at Eric.

'I'm not his, if that's what you're implying. Let's just say we had a bad night and it got out of hand. Russell's wolves came after us. He took them down.' I said, quickly, seeing that someone from one of my tables was calling me over. 'Just a sec, I'll be right back.'

I attended as quickly as I could to a very annoying Mrs Fortenberry and then looked around for Alcide. He was now sitting in Eric's booth and they were discussing in quite a civil manner.

I approached them, nervous.

'Was Debbie with them?' Alcide asked, eyeing me and Eric with wonder.

'No. It was just the males.' Eric explained, sipping his True Blood.

'Good. At least that's one less thing to worry about for you, Sookie.' Alcide noted. He and Eric seemingly had some sort of respect for one another and I was tempted to ask them what had brought them to actually act civil to one another even though werewolves and vampires usually viscerally hated each other. I decided I'd question Eric later when we got home and went back to work. Alcide stayed a bit to talk with Eric and then he left, kissing me on the cheek before going. The rest of my shift was pretty eventless apart from Eric's temper flaring every single time a man made a comment about me or Arlene glared at me for no reason. Holly wasn't there that night. I was relieved for that because I did not trust her one bit and with her being a Wiccan, I did not know where her allegiances stood. At the end of my shift, I was tired and couldn't wait to go. Eric had been the image of patience, sitting in his booth, ordering True Blood after True Blood. He actually dared to leave me a tip. A huge one. I took the tip and slipped it in his back-pocket.

'Why?' He simply asked, tilting his head to the side, curious.

'I can't let you tip me! You didn't actually choose to be here. It feels too weird anyways.' I replied, taking off my apron.

'The service was worth it.' He replied, winking at me. I rolled my eyes, smiling. I said goodbye to Sam and Jessica. Arlene simply stared at Eric in fear so I didn't dare push my luck by saying goodbye to her like I usually did and Eric and I simply slipped out of Merlotte's. We were almost at Eric's Corvette when, suddenly, he winced in pain and fell to the ground, a silver chain wrapped around his neck. I yelped in surprise and turned around. Standing in front of me was Debbie Pelt with a gun in her hand.

'Get in the car.' She growled at me. I moved back, towards the car. I then looked at Eric. He really looked like he was in pain.

'This is about me, not him. Let him go.' I pleaded to her, knowing her answer in advance. However, I had to win some time to think up a plan.

'He'll kill me the moment I free him, you fucking whore. No way I'm taking him with us. Now get in the car right this instant.' She snarled, clicking the gun's security off.

'But he's in pain.' I replied.

'I'll show you the meaning of pain, you bitch. Alcide killed my fiancé because of you. Now get in the fucking car!'

'I don't have the keys.' I muttered, my voice icy with fear. 'It's his car.' I continued, breathing heavily.

'Take them.' He simply said, the silver burning his throat.

He handed me the keys and I wished this instant I could read his thoughts. He looked at me and winked so quickly that I almost didn't notice it. I got in the car on the driver's side as Debbie instructed me.

'Now drive to your place.' She ordered me, the gun still pointed at my head. And I did, even though I'd never driven a Corvette.


	16. I In You And You In Me

**Once again, thank you all for the great reviews. This chapter was just fun to write, especially the end. The cliffie isn't such a cliffie here as a revelation. I will try to write another chapter tonight but I might only post it really late if I have time to post it at all. If not tonight, I'll update tomorrow.**

**Now, here's a little music to entertain you all:**

**H-Bomb- Night Beats**

**Bliss- Muse**

**Wonderwall-Oasis**

**Goldmine-The Union Line**

**Bad Blood-Simian Mobile Disco (which inspired the title)**

**Such a Fool-The 22-20s**

**Salvation-The Scanners**

**Hope you like it! I love you guys, you're the best readers! Hope you enjoy the chapter :) the chapter loves his reviews :P**

What the hell was I to do? I thought with dread about the curse what would... And then the car stopped. As in magically stopped? Oh right. The curse also covered moving devices? And then I realised the motor was still running but something was stopping the car from moving any further. I removed my foot from the accelerator and looked with dread in the rear view mirror. As sure as day, Eric was standing, bloody gashes at his throat where the chain had been (and wasn't anymore, thanks to Jessica or Sam, I thought swiftly) and he was stopping the car with his bare hands. Oh Jesus! We were far enough from Merlotte's and into the forest meaning there was no one to help us. And that Eric had had to run all the way behind the car to keep the distance between us within the curse's limits. Debbie seemed to be completely at lost with the sudden stop. She barged out of the car, the gun still cocked at my head and ordered me out.

'Touch a single hair off her head and I swear to you it will be the last thing you'll do.' Eric roared. He could look very scary when he wanted to. He had quickly moved to my side, leaving the car with hand imprints in the back. The man was strong, there was no denying that.

'Than I'll go down.' She replied, her eyes glassy with hatred. She fired, aiming at my head. Suddenly I was toppled over and Eric as on me, and there was blood everywhere.

I faintly heard Debbie walk over to us. She aimed the gun again, sure not to miss this time. And then she yelled in pain. Eric's hand had just snapped her leg like a twig. He had taken the bullet for me and it was his blood that covered me. He was very heavy and apparently he was a bit out of it. And the pain came. It burn everywhere in my chest especially near my throat, where the bullet had hit Eric. Eric tried to grab the gun out of Debbie's hand but she dropped it out of his reach. So he snapped her other leg whilst she tried to scurry away to get the gun. I grabbed it and aimed it at her.

'Shoot her.' Eric hissed. My hands shook a bit and then I reminded myself that Eric had just taken a bullet for me, a bullet she had fired. A silver bullet no doubt. The girl was insane, not stupid. And I shot her, once, twice. And I collapsed under Eric, wincing at the pain in my chest.

'What's wrong?' he growled in my ear, worried. He was bleeding heavily and needed some time to cure. I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks uncontrollably. How could he handle it?

'The curse.' I breathed, sobbing, my hands clutched at my chest and collarbone. It hurt like a bitch. 'It hurts.' I whimpered. He looked stoic and then it dawned on him. I obviously wasn't injured. He was. And I was feeling it. During the were attack we hadn't noticed, being both hurt at the same time, not caring where the pain came from. But now we knew better.

'Oh Christ, Sookie.' He whispered, kissing my cheeks.

'How long...' I murmured, the pain stronger than ever.

'It will take a few minutes for the bullet to push itself out.' He replied. He didn't have to say a word more. I put my lips to his wound and suck as hard as I could, until the bullet was out of the wound and in my mouth. I almost gagged at how much of his blood had poured in my mouth, with him being on top. And suddenly I felt infinitely better. I was able to breathe more freely. The pain receded to a dull ache, resembling much that of a vampire bite. And then it stopped.

'Are you okay?' I whispered, worried more about him than I.

'Yes. Are you?' he replied, his voice a low rumble. I stared in his eyes with wonder and brought his lips down to mine, tears still rolling on my cheeks. The aftershock, no doubt. He relinquished to the kiss, his bloodied hands in my hair, his bloodied lips crashing without mercy on my equally bloody ones. He then pulled back, checking my entire body for any sign of injury. And then he looked at Debbie and I felt his pride. He was proud of me. For killing her. And then I realised I had just killed a woman. A werewolf, but still a woman. It had been one thing shooting the werewolves to slow them down, but I knew I hadn't inflicted mortal wounds to any of them. And with Rene, it had been a man who had murdered my Grandmother in cold blood. But I had killed a woman. Somehow that felt even worse to me. But then I reminded myself she wouldn't have hesitated a moment to kill me. In fact, she had tried and Eric had saved me from her grudge.

Tears were still rolling down my cheeks when Eric cradled me to his chest, trying to soothe me, his hands in my hair. His mouth was everywhere on my face, kissing the tears way, nibbling at my lips. I moaned against his lips, allowing his tongue to caress mine. I roughly grabbed his hair and pulled his head even closer to mine, afraid he'd vanish out of thin air. When we finally stopped making out, I realised we were covered in blood on the side of the road with a dead body.

'What are we gonna do with her?' I asked him, panic rising in my chest. 'We have to tell Alcide.'

'If there is one thing we won't do is tell Alcide about this. I don't know how deep his sentiments for you are but I know for sure he won't let us get away with this. No matter how much he cares for you, his allegiances lie with his people, not with us.' Eric replied. 'I'll take care of the body. Just wait in the car. Lock the doors and relax. I'll be right back.' And he picked me up and put me down softly on the passenger seat, not minding a second that I'd put blood all over his brand new beige leather seats.

He shoved Debbie's body over his shoulder and into the woods of the bayou he went. I didn't even want to know what he intended to do with the body, but I knew that he better do it well. I watched CSI sometimes and knew they could trace the murder back to me and him anytime they wanted if we left as much as a hair on Debbie's body. I winced in disgust, remembering in a flash the sloppy noise of the bullets hitting her in the chest. I almost gagged in the car but was fast enough and managed to do it on the other side of the road. I dropped to my knees and rubbed my face free of the blood that had been there. I then crawled back to the car where I curled myself in a little ball.

That's where Eric found me when he came back.

'Where did you burry her?' I choked, breathing heavily.

'I better not tell you.' He replied. I noticed his hands were covered in mud and blood. And he had some more on his chest and chin. And suddenly I wondered exactly how he had buried her.

'You didn't...' I muttered, my eyes wide.

'I had to.' He replied, practical. He had buried her in _parts_. 'She'll be harder to identify like this if they ever find her...' He explained.

'And the gun?' I croaked.

'In parts too. The bullets however I couldn't destroy. Silver.' He explained. And he dropped the remaining bullets, wrapped in a thin piece of fabric on my knees. I then realised I still had the one I had retrieved from his chest in my hand. I put it with the others and looked at my bloody nails as he drove away towards my house. When we got there, we walked together to the cemetery, picked a grave and he dug with his hands a foot or two and we dropped the bullets in the hole. He then covered our traces and picked me up to carry me home.

'You need to take these off.' He muttered, pointing at my bloodied clothes. 'I'll help you.' He whispered. Through the bond I could feel he was very aroused by the prospect of taking my clothes off. And once again we were in my bathroom, but this time, I helped him out of his clothes too. The wound on his chest was almost closed now and I kissed it softly, as if to make amends.

'Thank you for saving my life. Again.' I whispered, craning my neck to stare into his beautiful eyes. I looked away from him and took my tooth brush, brushing my teeth thoroughly whilst he stared at me, amused. I wanted the bad tastes out of my mouth.

'Don't you brush your teeth?' I asked, puzzled as to why he found it so bizarre that I'd do it.

'Don't exactly need to.' He replied, grinning. His teeth were white and perfect and straight. And I couldn't remember Eric ever having bad breath. Yeah, vampire thing. No mortal needs...

'Well I do' I mumbled, the minty foam all over my mouth. 'Don't look.' I muttered, my mouth full.

'This is way too amusing for me to look away, I'm afraid.' He replied, playfully. I spat the foam out and drank water slowly, frowning at him.

'And now you smell all minty.' He replied, taking my chin for a quick kiss. 'I hate the taste of mint.' He said.

'What does blood taste like for you?' I asked, genuinely curious as he pulled my ruined uniform shirt over my head. I swiftly unbuttoned his shirt and pressed my cheek on his cool pecs. This felt so good. Because it was Eric, but also because I wasn't alone. I didn't _have_ to be alone, I realised.

'I don't remember much the taste of anything human. But some young vampires have compared it to chocolate.' He replied.

'Chocolate? I love chocolate.' I responded, removing my cheek from his chest and cocking my head to the side, in wonder. 'What do _I_ taste like then? Do I really taste different?'

'You're the best blood I've had in a thousand years.' He replied. 'But I've had fairy blood before' He added. 'Not nearly as good as yours, though. I simply didn't know that it allowed us to stand in the sun unharmed for a while.'

'You've had a fairy before?' I said, my eyes wide.

'During the Middle Ages, there were a lot more _fae_ than there are today. Your specie is almost extinct but back in the days, _fae_ lived in the forests. All those stories about Guinevere and Avonlea, they're based on _fae_ appearing to humans. I remember when I was still young and foolish I couldn't help but feel very attracted to the daughter of a man who lived secluded with his wife and child in a forest in Transylvania. One night, I glamoured her away from safety and took her. I drained her. She wasn't completely fairy. In fact she had even less fairy blood than you do. Godric found me with her just before dawn and he had to physically remove me from her side because I wouldn't let go of her. She tasted delicious. But nothing like you. You're just bliss.' He replied, caressing my cheek, thoughtfully.

I wondered how many stories like this Eric had. In a millennium he surely had had time to see pretty much the entire world.

'How long have you been in America?' I asked, unbuckling his belt as he almost ripped my shorts off. He was going commando, just as he had told me he enjoyed doing and I almost whimpered at the sight of him. He then proceeded to removing my bra and panties which were also ruined from the blood I'd had on my and dragged me in the shower stall with him. I didn't understand it myself, but being naked with him was so normal I didn't even blush. It had taken me some time to get acquainted with nudity with Bill since he'd been my first, but Eric made it feel so normal and he made me feel so good about how I looked naked that I didn't have any issues being on the nude with him. He started the water and dragged me under the warm jet before responding.

'I've been here for almost fifty years, though not in Shreveport. At first I lived in New York. But it was too crowded for me. I moved south until I felt it was time for me to settle. I came here after World War II when Godric and I parted for the fifth time. Makers and their children rarely stay together. Pam and I are a weird exception to our kind. Some actually find us very bizarre. And we opened Fangtasia after the Great Revelation.'

'You spent a lot of time with Godric didn't you?' I asked, enjoying his big hands on my back as he lathered soap to clean away the blood.

'I spent my first five centuries as a vampire with him.' Eric said, sombrely remembering that his maker wasn't anymore. 'And then we parted. I needed to experiment and live my life. But we found each other a few decades later in Paris.'

'Paris?' I whispered, amazed, tracing lazy patterns on his chest with my fingers. The warm water was turning me to putty and I felt safe, something I hadn't felt in a long time. Debbie was gone and Russell's wolves too.

'It wasn't nearly as glamorous as it is today. It was quite a violent time, the 1500s.' Eric replied, bringing his mouth down on mine for a chaste kiss.

'So you speak French?' I asked, pushing him away.

'_Oui_' He replied. '_Maintenant, tais-toi et laisse-moi t'embrasser_.' He continued. The language sounded very sexy with his slight accent.

'What does that mean?' I asked curious.

'It means shut up and let me kiss you.' He growled, swiftly proceeding.

'How many languages do you speak?' I wondered when he finally let go of my lips. His length was pressed between us and I could tell he really wanted us to get naughty. I was still a bit wobbly from our previous encounter.

'Quite a few, but my favourite is my native language. I taught it to Pam when I turned her.' He answered.

'How old is Pam?' I said, my fingers digging into the skin of his ass, pressing him up against me. He grunted before answering.

'I don't know how old she was when I turned her, maybe in her twenties or something. It was in the 1800s if I remember correctly.' He replied, his hand cupping my breast, his thumb brushing my nipple. I hissed in pleasure and put my mouth to his chest sucking at his nipple. He apparently appreciated that as the twitch of his length informed me.

'Why did you pick her?'

'Because she felt right. She was a brave and strong human. She didn't fear anything. And she could surely kick some asses in the taverns when men disrespected her. She didn't put up with any of it. I was fascinated by her and felt oddly attached to her at the same time.'

'Did you... sleep with her?' I asked, feeling suddenly very possessive of my Viking. _My_ Viking. I'd really have to think about this whole situation when we were free of the curse.

'Yes, we did have sex. Many times. Before and after I turned her.' Eric grunted against my neck, his fangs grazing the skin. 'But as I've told you, feelings between a maker and his child change a lot over time. And Pam discovered... other interests. And I.' Eric completed, smug.

'How's sex between vampires?' I asked, blunt. His teeth were now on my earlobe, biting gently. I was so aroused I thought I was going to jump on him but at the same time, I liked letting him take control. And I was very curious.

'Fast.' He murmured, planting a kiss on my wet throat. 'Long.' He said, planting another one on my collarbone. 'Amazing.' He finished, taking my nipple in between his lips, rolling his tongue on it. I almost collapsed in his arms but he pressed be against the wall of the stall, right below the water so I wouldn't be cold.

'Do you prefer it to human sex?' I murmured, my voice at loss. The man had devilish skills.

He stopped and looked up at me from where his head was.

'Are you kidding?' He growled. 'Nothing compares with human sex. Not for us anyways. It's the best of both worlds.' He said. 'Blood and sex.' He groaned against my throat. 'It's what we live for. What we're _meant_ for.'

'What about sex with other women?' I asked, obviously decided on torturing myself. Just imagining him pleasing someone else than me made my blood boil with jealousy.

He stopped for good and stood up all his height, looming over me. The water cascaded down his torso. His wet locks hung on his forehead and his eyes were glazed with lust.

'Why are you so curious?' He asked, teasing.

'It's a human thing.' I replied, arrogant.

'I've had my fair share of human women. And men.' He added. My eyes were now wide like saucers, I guessed, because he grinned.

'You've slept with men?' I asked, completely baffled. I could simply not picture Mister Womanizer going at it with a man. But then I remembered the way Godric had looked at him, with love and a little something more. Oh yeah, I guess it made sense.

'Haven't you?' he replied, cocky.

I stared at my toes, ashamed for the first time at my lack of experience.

'Bill was my first.' I finally said, gazing at him. I was afraid he'd laugh or find me ridiculous. He didn't. He simply gazed at me in wonder.

'You never made love with a human?' He asked, not judging but simply curious. 'Well now you surprise me even more, Miss Stackhouse.' He smiled.

'Imagine having sex with someone and hearing every single thing they think about your body. And comparing you to others. And imagining you're someone better, different... I simply couldn't do it.'

'You're perfect the way you are. I couldn't think of a single way to compare you to others.' He added, capturing my lips for a mind-blowing kiss. Why oh why was the man so skilled with his lips?

'Surely you've slept with women who were better looking, more skilled, more vicious?' I offered, touched by his words but still intent on comparing myself.

'Surely, but they weren't Sookie Stackhouse.' He said, his hands trailing down my sides to gently part my thighs. He settled at my entrance and slid in in a swift move. I gasped, my eyes never leaving his. He lifted me so that I could hold myself on his hips with my legs, my arms around his neck for support. The cascading warm water on our bodies made the whole act so different and exciting. Eric's skilled hands were everywhere on my body, pushing me up against the wall on which my back slammed every time he rammed in me.

'How do you do it vampire style?' I gasped in his ear when he brought his mouth down on my neck. I was on the verge of coming undone in his arms and a purr rippled to his chest when I murmured to him.

'You couldn't possibly keep up.' He teased me, his hand gently tugging my wet hair.

'Try me.' I moaned back, my breasts pressed against his chest. He grinned wickedly and started moving sensibly faster, and faster. And faster yet. Jesus he was doing something like 120 beats per minute.

'Eric!' I gasped in his ear when my orgasm crashed over me. But he didn't stop. He was everywhere at the same time. It felt as if the man had grown three other pairs of hands and soon I was ready again for another round even though the first one hadn't even stopped.

'Don't stop!' I begged him, trying to capture his mouth which was everywhere. He complied and rammed his hips into mine faster yet. And he kissed me, demanding, hard. I thought I was going to die right there.

'Where were you all these years?' Eric groaned in my ear, almost on the verge of his own release.

'Right here, waiting for you.' I murmured in his ear, my voice edgy with the mix of pleasure and pain he was giving me. The water was now cold and yet I did not care one bit. I would be sore all over, I knew it, but right now, I was just thinking about my release. I almost yelled when it came but Eric shut me up with his mouth, plundering my mouth.

'I really hate mint.' He growled, biting my bottom lip roughly when we were both satiated. 'But I love you blood, my love.'

'I might need crutches tomorrow. I don't think I can walk after this.' I giggled, kissing him once more. He grinned at me.

'I'll carry you.' He replied, lifting me in his arms, my legs entwined behind him, my thighs on his hips. And like that, he took me to bed where he lay next to me, plumped on his elbow, looking at me. He was gazing dreamily at me. And this reminded me of my first erotic dream with him in it. It had been perfect, apart from Lorena's presence. And here I was, living a dream.

It then hit me, real hard, like someone had just slammed my head against a wall. Only it was the truth that hit me that hard. I should have seen it coming. The dreams had only been there as a warning from my subconscious. The blood had nothing to do with it. The blood had only made realisation come faster. I knew all along but fought it as hard as I could because I couldn't stand the idea of ever being hurt again. And I knew for sure that I would never get satisfaction out of that. He wanted me physically, whilst I wanted so much more.

I was desperately and most completely in love with Eric Northman.


	17. The Dreams In Which I'm Dying

**Hello my darlings! Here is another chapter! Hopefully you guys enjoy it! I'm really trying to write as much as I can and I'm sorry if I can't post more than a chapter or two per day. I'll try to write faster. I'm amazed at how many people are actually following this story and I hope it stays that way. i know this story is rather long, but I have material to make it even longer if it pleases you readers.**

**If you'd be interested in me writing my version of Season 5 too, let me know :) **

**Some inspirational music :)**

**I Know What I Am- Band of Skulls**

**Hunting For Witches - Bloc Party**

**No Kind Of Life- Clearlake**

**Get Off - The Dandy Warhols (can't remember if I put it in a different chapter, wtv I love it)**

**Year of Silence - Crystal Castles**

**First Snow- Emancipator (3 3 3 this one :)!)**

**PLEASE REVIEW, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO :) actually I'm just dying for more and more feedback, I think I'm getting greedy loll whatever, I love you guys, thanks for sticking with me and reading my story :)**

**xxx**

I awoke to the sound of voices. My eyes were still closed but I could tell immediately I wasn't in my bed. What the hell? Everything felt soft and dewy around me. Two people were talking next to me, their hands fluttering on my dress. Dress? Hadn't I gone to bed naked with Eric as a blanket? Weird. One of the voices was a man's, deep and deeply disturbing too. He a baritone voice, one of those voices you immediately knew its owner was good looking. The other was a voice I had only heard during my coma a few weeks before. Claudine.

'_This_ is what you have to protect?' The male voice sneered. By 'this' I guessed he meant me. I was quite insulted at his choice of word.

'Niall has taken an interest in the girl and I will protect her. She's our niece, Claude.' Claudine scolded. I batted my lashes and tried to focus on their faces. The two of them were leaning over me and everything was bright and soft, just like I remembered. I was back in _Fairyville_. Why, I couldn't tell. When my eyes adjusted to the ambient light, I was able to discern their respective faces. Claudine's was peaceful and smiling and beautiful. The other face, which I did not know, was equally beautiful, as in Brad Pitt perfect beautiful, but the look was displeased and bored. I guessed it must have been Claude. He looked a lot like Claudine and I guessed they must have been brother and sister.

'Look, she's awake.' Claudine whispered.

'Why am I here?' I asked, dumbfounded when they finally allowed me to sit up. 'Who are you?' I asked Claude, my eyes wide and worried.

'He's my brother, Claude. You have nothing to fear from us, Sookie.' She said, her sing-song voice soothing.

'She is quite banal looking if you ask me...' Claude said, eyeing me suspiciously.

'Geez thanks.' I replied, combative. Who the hell did he think he was? It was real easy being a fairy and all and looking gorgeous naturally, but I was just human. And what was with the attitude?

'Excuse him, he is quite blunt...' Claudine muttered. 'He isn't exactly used to dealing with part-fae.' Claudine continued, caressing my cheek thoughtfully.

'Why am I here?' I asked.

'You are in grave danger Sookie.' Claudine said, pulling me to my feet.

'No kidding.' I replied, sarcasms dripping from my every word. Claude looked at me, bored and crossed his perfectly tanned arms on his perfectly chiselled chest. The sight of him was quite disturbing, all god-like and absolutely tact-less.

'Your vampire came here.' Claudine said, fear in her eyes. 'He almost drained me but Claude stopped him.'

'He what?' I gasped.

'Vampires love our smell, our taste. They hardly can resist us.' Claudine explained, sad.

'Eric hurt you?' I muttered, dumbfounded.

'Who's Eric?' Claude said, genuinely curious. 'Is he the tall dashingly handsome one with the golden hair?' Ah right, dashingly handsome Claude was into dashingly handsome vamps.

'Not Eric. He's never come to Fae. Rumour has it he once snacked on one of us, but then again very few vampires haven't... I was talking about _your _vampire, Bill.' Claudine explained.

'Oh.' I replied, pained. Of course she meant Bill. Eric wasn't even mine. _Why would I refer to him as my vampire anyways?_ I thought, pissed. 'I can't believe he lied to me.' I said, my voice empty.

Bill had lied to me about that too, his visit in Fae. How I wished he were with me right now so I could smack some sense into him. The pain that had dulled in my chest came back searing. As much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn't help but remember all those nights he had spent with me, even if they'd been lies, from all I could tell.

'Is he not yours anymore?' Claude asked. The man was the spitting image of _ennui._

'No.' I said, somberly.

'What about that yummy piece, Eric?' Claude continued, showing me a sign of interest for the first time.

'We have some sort of a predicament at the moment...' I said, vague.

'You love him...' Claudine said, smiling softly. I didn't even bother denying it. 'And you're bound to him, through his blood and through that curse.' She reminded me.

'Do you know how to get rid of it?' I asked, referring to the curse.

'Witches and Fairies don't interfere much. We don't exactly bother with them. They have limited powers compared to those of the ancients.' Claudine said.

'What about Jason? Do you have any idea where he might be?' I said, my heart wrenched by the thought he might be hurt or even worst, dead.

'Your brother?' Claude asked, picking up a flower and chewing on its petals. The man was bizarre.

'If I'm part fairy, wouldn't he be too?' I asked, adding up the facts.

'He is, but he only got from us the looks and charms.' Claudine replied. She didn't seem to like Jason much.

'Oh.' Was all I could muster. 'Can't you find him? I'm so worried for him.'

'He's not dead, if that's what you're thinking. But we can't help without endangering our kind.' Claude snapped.

'Why am I really here?' I suddenly asked. This was way too weird. What were they here to warn me about? If it wasn't the witches and Jason, then what?

'You must be careful, Sookie. Bill is gone but others will want to steal your light. We have powerful enemies and we won't be able to help you forever.' Claudine said, her hand on my cheek. 'You can't trust everyone around you. Choose your entourage carefully.'

'What about Eric?' I asked, anxious. I did not want to ban him from my life. I cared about him too much.

'He cares for you. Deeply. His intentions seem noble enough. But he's a vampire...' Claudine said, which drew a disappointed sigh from Claude. I was quite baffled by her words. Did Eric really care about me?

'Now drink.' Claudine said, offering me a golden cup that had just appeared out of thin air.

'What is that?' I asked, surprised, but not fearful.

'It will take you back home.' She whispered, putting the cup to my lips. I drank. It tasted delightful. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I was back in my bed. And I was alone. Eric wasn't in bed with me.

I looked around my room for him. It was still night. Obviously he didn't spend the entire night looking at my drooling form... I thought. I slipped out of the sheets and grabbed my robe, wrapping myself in its silky texture. I went to the living room. Eric was there, watching _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. I found that quite hilarious.

'Did I wake you?' he asked, worried.

'No. No. Don't worry. I had a dream.' I simply explained. I wasn't sure if I could trust him with the existence of Claudine and Claude.

'This is pathetically fascinating. I'm actually enjoying myself though I don't understand why humans insist on making vampires look bad and unattractive.' He muttered, looking at a very pissed Spike sprouting his fangs and his forehead. I'd almost forgotten how bizarre the Buffy vampires looked when they bit people.

'We tend to destroy the image of things we don't understand.' I replied, smiling at him. 'Is this what you do at night when I'm sleeping?' I asked him curious.

'That and I read. Or I watch you sleep. You're quite the sight when you're asleep.' He added, playful.

I smiled at him and sat on the arm of his couch. He sensed that I wanted to talk so he paused the episode and looked up at me. He slid his hands around my waist and pulled me on his lap.

'What did you want to talk about?' He asked, putting his lips to my temple softly.

'Do you know how Bill found out what I was?' I questioned him.

'No. He simply told me that he knew you were part fairy. Why?'

'Because he went to Fae.' I dropped. Obviously, that meant something to Eric because he looked surprised.

'William Compton went to Fae? How? I thought the portals to Fae were mostly closed or heavily protected!' He muttered.

'He almost drained me. He said that's how he got there. And he almost drained my... fairy godmother of some sort, Claudine. That he didn't tell me.' I continued.

'I don't want to turn the knife in the wound some more, Sookie, but there is a lot that he didn't tell you.' Eric said. I could feel through the bond that he was pissed at Bill for ever hurting me. 'You have a fairy godmother?' He then asked, sceptic.

'Her name is Claudine. And she has a brother, Claude. He's good looking but a total ass.' I explained.

'I've heard of them. They are Niall's grandchildren.' Eric said, serious. 'Which can only mean you're related to Niall. That surely puts things in a different perspective.' Eric added.

'They did mention a Niall. Who is he?' I asked, curious.

'He's one of the last Fairy Princes. He's very important and very dangerous too.' Eric simply said. 'What did Claudine and Claude tell you?'

'They said that I was in danger.' I said.

'What kind of danger?' he retorted, very aware.

'Fairy dangers I guess.' I shrugged. They hadn't exactly been precise.

'Then we'll be even more vigilant. When the curse is off, you could come and stay at my place if you wish. You'd be safe there.' He said, his thumb on my bottom lip, caressing it softly.

I did not speak for a long minute, staring at his face. Had he just asked me to move in with him? I opened and closed my mouth as if I wanted to say something but I simply had no idea what to say.

'I have plenty of room for you to live with me.' He continued, grinning. 'Like this every night could be like this one.' He added, sinfully slipping a finger down the opening of my robe.

'Do you really mean this or is this just some of the nonsense you say to get me to like you?' I asked, mean. I had been hurt enough, I would not risk it again. He looked pained by my words and he turned his face away from me to look at the wall.

'I thought you trusted me.' He simply replied.

'I don't know who to trust, Eric. I'm sorry.' I said, turning his head with my palm to gaze at his eyes. He really had the most wonderful face. I kissed him softly on the lips.

'Now you're trying to distract me.' He hummed against my mouth.

'I trust you, Eric. I do.' I added before bringing him in for another kiss. He carried me back to my room and gently dropped me on the bed where he joined me, holding me to his strangely silent chest.

'I wish you could realise just how unlike myself you've made me, Sookie.' He simply said. And, in the safety of his arms, I resumed sleeping, holding him close.

The next day went by in a breeze. It was almost the middle of the afternoon when my home phone rang.

'Sookie! Thank god!' the woman said. The voice was familiar but I couldn't place it just like that.

'Hi, who is this?' I asked, curious.

'It's Hadley!' she breathed. 'I need your help Sookie.'

'Are you alright?' I retorted, immediately worried. Was she in trouble again? Or Hunter, my telepath nephew?

'Could I please come around to your place? I'm almost in Bon Temps. I have Hunter with me.' She said, obviously terrified.

'Are you in trouble?'

'Of sorts, yeah. Could I please leave Hunter at your place tonight? I'll take him to his father tomorrow morning. I can't be gone too long otherwise Sophie-Anne will notice and I really have to do something tonight.' She rushed.

'Sure, alright.' Damn it, I'd have to ask for another night off from work. Sam was going to kill me!

'Thank you so much, Sook. I'll be at your place in like twenty minutes. Thank you, it really means a lot to me.' And then she hung up. I didn't know how Eric would react about Hunter's presence but I couldn't very well tell my cousin off when she sounded so panicked.

I had just found some old games of mine in Gran's pantries when I heard a car in the driveway. I went to the door and was relieved to see Hadley there, Hunter by her side. He walked stubbornly up the porch with her. I opened the door and invited them in.

'Oh my god, Sookie, thank you so much.' Hadley muttered, hugging me.

_Why am I here?_ Hunter silently asked me. It was quite unsettling for me to carry conversations in my mind since the only other person I'd ever been able to do it with had been Barry in Dallas.

_Don't worry, we'll have fun, Hunter. Your mamma has some stuff to do but she'll be back tomorrow for you._ I answered him.

_Who's Barry?_ He replied in his mind, frowning. Oh yeah, true, he could hear all my thoughts. I understood better how people could feel around me. Hadley had watched our silent exchange with fear and anxiety.

_Hunter, it's not polite to listen in on my thoughts..._

'Okay, so what's the drill? Does he have allergies? What time does he go to bed?' I asked Hadley, playfully teasing Hunter's hair with my hand.

Hadley told me his usual routine and then she left. I would definitely need to question her eventually.

'Now what do you want to do, Hunter?' I asked him.

_Do you have Monopoly? _He asked me through his mind.

'Say it out loud, Hunter. That's one thing you have to learn. Otherwise, you'll slip someday with people who aren't like you.' I gently explained to him, kneeling so that I was levelled with him. He shrugged and smiled.

'Do you have Monopoly, aunt Sookie?' He asked, a small grin on his lips.

'Yes I do. Would you like to play? I think I might even have some marshmallows for us to snack on while we play.' I said, taking him with me to the kitchen. Our game was so intense I didn't even notice the sun setting and when Eric emerged in the kitchen, I realised I hadn't told Hunter about him. Hunter simply looked at the tall Viking and then at me.

_Is he... a vampire?_ Hunter asked me. The boy was surprisingly bright for his young age.

'Yes he is, but he won't hurt you.' I told him. I then realised I had answered his question out loud and I looked up at Eric. He looked a bit at lost as to why there was a five years old in my kitchen but didn't mention it. Nor the fact that I had answered the kid's unspoken question.

'Eric, meet my nephew Hunter. He's Hadley's son...Hunter, this is Eric. My...friend. He's met your Mamma, I believe.' I completed, throwing a warning look at Eric.

'Well hello there.' Eric said, a small grin on his face, patting Hunter gently on the head. I had never seen Eric interact with kids and wasn't sure how this would turn out. I scolded myself mentally for not having thought about this sooner.

'Hello.' Hunter said, his voice surprisingly strong. I would have thought a kid would be scared of a Vampire, but he seemed more fascinated than anything. 'Are you a bad Vampire?' He asked, craning his neck to stare at Eric.

'Only when the kids misbehave.' Eric playfully said before slumping in the seat opposite mine.

_Can I see his fangs? _Hunter thought at me.

I giggled.

'Am I missing something here?' Eric asked, looking from Hunter to me and then back at Hunter.

'He wants to see your fangs.' I simply said, grinning.

'Alright.' Eric muttered, drawing them out. Hunter seemed both amused and fascinated by the fact that they could pop in and out at Eric's will. He even dared to touch them. Eric let him even though vampires usually are quite moody about being touched.

'Aunt Sookie, do you ever play with him?' Hunter asked, clapping his hands happily.

Eric looked at me and I felt his lust through the bond. Eric and Hunter definitely did not have the same definition of playing. I blushed and stifled a laugh. How very _vampire-ish_ of Eric to think about sex whilst I was baby-sitting... Vampires definitely had no morals, I thought.

'No, not really, Hunter. But I'm sure Eric wouldn't mind playing Monopoly with us now would you?' I said, begging Eric with my eyes.

'Only if I get to win.' Eric said, grabbing a piece to play with us. 'This surely can't be as boring as Yah-zee.' He added, mysteriously.

'What is Yah-zee?' Hunter asked, struggling with the name.

'Some boring dice game an old acquaintance of mine loves to play. I believe your Mom knows the game too...' Eric added.

'Really?' Hunter asked.

I frowned at him and he simply shrugged. What a devilish man he was. I stood to warm a True Blood for him and handed it to him. He smiled slyly and winked at me.

'Who goes first?' I asked, sitting back in my place, trying to take the subject away from Hadley's bad acquaintances. I couldn't risk Hunter falling in the hands of Sophie-Anne.

'I don't like Sophie-Anne. She's scary.' Hunter muttered, looking at me. Eric almost spat out his sip of True Blood.

Eric looked at me and then at Hunter.

'He's like you.' He simply said, his eyes wide and questioning.

'You've met her?' I asked Hunter, ignoring Eric's comment.

'She came to our home once. Mamma told me I couldn't let her see what I could do.' Hunter said, innocently. Right, do not allow the wolf to pry on the little sheep. How stupid of Hadley to have let Sophie-Anne even know about Hunter.

'My Mamma's not stupid!' Hunter interjected. 'Sophie-Anne is creepy. She's like you, you know? But she isn't nice. She broke my favourite red truck.' He informed a stunned Eric.

'Sookie, we need to talk.' Eric said, grabbing me and almost dragging me out of the kitchen. 'Wait here, Hunter!' I told him before Eric and I were out of the house.

He took me far enough from the house so that Hunter couldn't hear us talking.

'Your nephew is a telepath and you haven't told me?' Eric snapped, looming over me.

'How is that any of your business anyways?' I snapped back, frowning. 'You weren't supposed to know. He's young and can't control it very well. He already has enough of a hard time with it, I beg you, don't make it worse. I know it was hard for me, especially since I had no one to help. It was before anyone even admitted to supernatural things. I couldn't control it either at his age.'

'Well then you must have been a rather unsettling yet fascinating child.' Eric replied, calming down. 'I can't believe your cousin would be dumb enough to let Sophie-Anne know she even had a child at all...Sophie-Anne is anything but trustworthy, especially around special humans.' Eric mumbled. If someone knew that, it would be me.

'If you hadn't brought up Yah-zee in the first place.' I scolded him.

'I hate Yah-zee.' Eric grunted, looking over his shoulder at the house. 'You think he can hear you from where he is?' Eric asked me.

'I can block him out most of the time. Not always. The same way I can stop vampires from glamouring me, I guess. But no, I don't think he can hear me.' I replied, nervous. I didn't like leaving Hunter alone and I had a bad feeling about this whole situation.

'Can _you_ hear him?' Eric suddenly asked me, alert.

I concentrated and realised I couldn't hear a thing.

'No I can't.' I said. And then I dashed for the house, Eric in tow, yelling Hunter's name.


	18. Keep the Lambs, Bring in the Wolf

**Hello guys! Another chapter, shorter yes, but another chapter none the less :) hope you like it!**

**Review, review review please I love them :)**

**Btw, thanks to you all for the great suggestions and ideas and comments, they keep me productive :P**

**xoxoxo **

**ENJOY :)**

Hunter wasn't in the kitchen. In fact, he was nowhere in the house.

'Oh my god Eric where can he be?' I yelped terror washing over me.

'He can't have gone that far.' Eric reassured me.

'What if someone has him?' I said, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.

'I would have smelled someone. No, I'm sure he went out by himself and just saw something that interested him.' Eric said, looking around the backyard, scanning the darkness. Supernatural sight of course.

'Bill's!' I exclaimed, dashing for the door. Eric followed and a few moments later we barged in Bill's house. We came up to quite a touching sight. Hoyt was swirling Hunter in the air, while Jessica was watching them, laughing.

'Hunter!' I yelped, grabbing him from Hoyt's arms and cuddling him to my arms. 'Are you alright?' I asked him.

_Aunt Sookie, I can't hear her either, _he thought at me, referring to Jessica. Oh damn, I hadn't told him we couldn't hear vampires.

_She's a vampire, like Eric. A nice one. We can't hear vampires, sweetie. You'll come to like that..._

'Who is he, Sookie? He says you're his aunt?' Jessica asked. 'I'm sorry I was about to bring him home, really I swear. He's just so cute.' She explained, sincere. I wasn't mad at her, more at myself for letting Hunter get away.

'It's alright. He's okay, that's all that counts.'

Hoyt just stared at Jessica, Eric, me and Hunter, a bit confused.

'Oh. Right.' Jessica muttered. 'You know Sookie, Hoyt? This is Eric. Her... friend?'

'And this is Hunter, my cousin's son.' I added, patting Hunter on the shoulder. 'Where'd you find him?' I asked Jessica.

'He was just wandering on the lawn, looking around. He seems like a curious little boy.' Hoyt said, smiling. The guy was a sweetheart. I was really happy Jessica had found him. 'Then he told us his aunt Sookie was pissed at him so that's why he went for a walk.' Hoyt finished, shrugging.

'I wasn't pissed at you, sweetie!' I pleaded, hugging Hunter tightly.

_You said that Mamma was stupid. For letting Sophie-Anne know about me..._

_I didn't mean it like that, Hunter...It's just Sophie-Anne's real bad. She's a mean Vampire._

_Can we go home? I'm tired..._he thought, rubbing his eyes.

'You tired, buddy? Happens when you go running about scaring your aunt' Eric said, picking up Hunter like he weighted as much as a pebble. Which was probably how it felt for him anyways. I found it quite adorable that he'd actually carry Hunter. I hadn't known Eric to be such a sweetheart. Hunter laughed and relaxed against Eric's shoulder, sleepy.

'Thanks for finding him.' I simply said to Hoyt and Jessica and out we went and back to our place. _My_ place. Jesus, I was starting to think of me and Eric as a thing. It scared me a bit because I knew this couldn't last much longer. Sooner or later the curse with be lifted and Eric would go back to being the Vampire Sheriff and I would resume my life as the Telepathic Barmaid.

I took a sleepy Hunter to the bathroom where I helped him change to his pyjamas and then made sure he brushed his teeth carefully. I then tucked him into bed, kissed him goodnight and closed the door to my old bedroom.

'Is he okay?' Eric asked me when I finally emerged in the living room.

'Yes.' I replied, slumping down on the couch. The kid had drained me.

'Are you?' Eric asked again, sitting on the floor at my feet.

'I guess. This is such a big mess. With the werewolves, the witches, that bitch Sophie-Anne and Hadley in trouble and Jason missing. Sometimes, I just wish I'd wake up and everything would be back to the way it was before Bill walked in my life.' I said, massaging my temples.

'I wouldn't have met you.' Eric said, his hand on my thigh, drawing patterns on my skin. I shivered under his touch and smiled.

'You're right. You'd have missed out on all the fun that Sookie Stackhouse is.' I replied, sarcastic.

'My life would be quite boring if you weren't in it to rattle the cage.' Eric said, grinning mischievously. His cell phone suddenly rang. His ringtone almost made me giggle. It was a cheesy little song that he had for Pam's calls. He picked up.

'Pam.' He said. 'What is it?' There was a pause while he listened to her. 'Alright. See you later.' He clicked off.

'Pam's coming?' I asked.

'She's on her way. She says they might have information.' He replied. 'I don't regret meeting you one minute.' He continued, as if we hadn't been interrupted. Kneeling, he closed the space between our faces and kissed me softly.

'What will happen when the curse is lifted and you don't _have_ to be with me anymore?' I asked him, more afraid of his answer than I should have been. Our faces were an inch apart and he was gazing at me, dreamily.

'You'll be mine.' He simply said, capturing my mouth once more. 'That's how it should be.' He concluded. I could feel a mix of emotions through the bond: he was excited and horny (as of usual), but he was also very caring, protective. And boy did I feel safe with him.

'Eric.' I muttered against his lips, tensing.

'What?' He grunted, his mouth all over my neck.

'Pam's here.' I replied, smiling a bit.

'Who cares?' He said, continuing his ministrations on my neck. God was I enjoying it. But then again I had to let Pam in.

'Let me go, evil man.' I giggled before finally detangling myself from his embrace. I went to the door and opened it to a somewhat more lively Pam. In fact, I'd never seen her look more...alive. It was bizarre. She looked all jittery and excited.

'Hello Sookie.' She said her voice as cool as a cube of ice. Oh right, so much about a lively Pam.

'Hey Pam, do come in.' I invited her, moving out of the way so she could come in. She looked around my house with genuine curiosity. She'd been here before but apparently the place had not been worthy of her attention until her master had inhabited it. Eric came out of the living room, looking guilty but I couldn't tell why.

'Eric.' Pam greeted him, cocking a playful eyebrow. Her nose twitched and she turned to look at me than at the closed bedroom door where Hunter was sleeping.

'You have a miniature human in the place?' she asked, confused as to who the miniature human could be.

'It's my nephew, Hunter. He's here for the night.' I explained, still confused as to why Eric looked so guilty.

'I hate children. They're moppy and whiny. Do you mind if I speak with Eric for a minute?' Pam coolly asked me. I retreated to the kitchen but realised I could still hear them. Ah well...Sneaky little me was curious anyways.

'So that's what you're doing whilst we're trying to fix the mess you've made in Shreveport? Fucking the human girl?' Pam asked, sarcasm dripping from her every word. Geez Louise, she wasn't pleased was she?

'This is none of your business, Pam. I can't be in Shreveport right now and you know it.' Eric snarled.

'Right. But I still have to fix the mess. And you're still fucking around whilst you could be doing something useful such as asking the local Wiccans for their help!' Pam replied, equally pissed. What the heck? Holly was the only local Wiccan I could think about and I didn't trust her the least bit.

'Cut to the chase, why are you here?' Eric asked, pissed. I stepped out of the kitchen and came to stand by his side. Pam looked at me as if I were a mere piece of furniture and turned back to Eric.

'We know why the witches want you so bad.' Pam dropped, eyeing me suspiciously.

'And why is that?' Eric asked.

'Think a bit, Eric. What could bloodthirsty and power driven witches want from you?' Pam taunted, sneering.

'Oh sweet Jesus!' I exclaimed, suddenly understanding. 'They want to _drain_ him?'

Pam looked at me and almost smiled. _Yes, Pam_, _humans have brains too_.

'The human has it. You're worth a lot on the market, Eric...' Pam added. Eric looked unimpressed.

'That's it? They want to drain me? How do they expect to do that?' he said, his voice cool.

'Capture you and silver you? Or simply capture Sookie. You can't stay away from her, they'd just have to wait for you to magically show up. They're no ordinary witches, Eric. Hallow and her brother are both werewolves and they fuel themselves with V. They are much faster and nastier than your average witch. And smarter.' Pam replied.

'So they want your blood for their personal use? Wouldn't they have some for like... a lifetime with how tall you are and all?' I asked Eric.

'Considering a vial of blood is now sold around 400$ on the market when the blood is of quality and the fact they don't need that much for their use, I'm guessing they want to sell it...' Pam muttered, gloomily.

'Okay. So what are we supposed to do?' I asked, furious at the mere idea that some bitch wanted to drain _my_ Viking.

'Don't trust anyone. Except maybe the local Wiccans. I know for a thing that they don't like Hallow's gang much. She's tried to pressgang them into her bunch but they all refused. They could be of help figuring out how you guys could get rid of the curse.'

'We could talk to Holly. I know for a thing she's Wiccan. She practically yells it on the roofs. I just don't know if she's trustworthy.' I said, my hand on Eric's arm. He seemed to be experiencing downtime and he was looking at the wall pointedly. His fingers however grasped mine when we touched.

_...How can I keep her safe if they want me? Maybe I could trick them into capturing us and then what... where do they hide anyways? Damn it... wish Pam would go away so I could get back to..._

Oh. My. God. I swiftly removed my fingers from Eric's hand and stared at him, dumbfounded.

'What?' he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

'No..Nothing.' I said, moving backwards towards the kitchen. 'I'll be right back.'

I went into the kitchen and pressed my forehead against the cool fridge. I had just heard Eric's thought. That was the only explanation possible. But how? I'd never heard a vampire's thoughts before. Was my ability developing? Or was it the blood bond? Or the curse? Whatever it was, I couldn't let Eric know that. The fact I couldn't hear vampires was the sole reason I hadn't been murdered my first night in Fangtasia. There was a reason why vampires let me be around them even though I was...special. And it was because I could hear everybody's thoughts but theirs. If they knew...

'What's wrong Sookie?' Eric said, turning me around to look at him.

'Nothing.' I lied, my heartbeat erratic.

'I can feel your pulse. And even if I couldn't, you're a terrible liar.' He muttered, his gaze drilling holes in my eyes, as if he could excavate the truth from my brain. 'Tell me, what is it?'

'You'd kill me if I did.' Was all I whispered before I walked out of the room. I went back to the living room and sat across Pam on the sofa. She was handling one of my Buffy DVD case and finding it rather amusing.

'Do you humans actually enjoy this?' She asked me.

'It is quite entertaining, you should try it sometime.' Eric said, as he followed me into the room. He looked annoyed and pissed. And the bond told me it went actually deeper than that. He hated information being kept from him.

'We'll talk later.' Was all he said to me before greeting Pam goodbye after giving her instructions regarding the witch situation.

I was in trouble, I could tell. He barged back into the room and tackled me against the wall.

'Now, tell me why I'd have to kill you if you told me what's wrong.' He ordered me, cupping my chin with his hand. I was about to tell him when someone knocked at the door.

'I have to get it. It might be important.' I muttered. He let me go, his left arm still on the wall and he looked at me as I walked towards the door.

'Sookie! Please open up!' I heard a female voice yelp. Hadley. Panicked.

I opened the door and allowed her in. She looked dishevelled and scared and she almost fainted when she spotted Eric.

'What's he doing here? Has he come to finish _her_ job?' Hadley whispered, hiding behind me. Eric simply cocked his head, unsure.

'What is it Hadley? Who's after you?'

'Sophie-Anne. She's decided to turn me.' Hadley dropped, tears in her eyes.

'What?' Eric and I both snapped. I looked at him and then out the door, gesturing for him to close it.

'Why would she want to turn you?' I asked Hadley, helping her to a kitchen chair.

'She says she loves me and wants to keep me with her forever. But I know all she wants is to order me to hand you or Hunter over to her. I used to like her but she's been acting so weird these past weeks. That's why I brought Hunter here.' Hadley hiccupped, tears rolling down her cheeks.

'Why did you even let her know you had a son? She doesn't know what he is, does she?' I muttered. Hadley looked from me to Eric.

'He knows?' she asked me, fearful.

'He figured it out. Hunter doesn't control it very well, Hadley.' I explained. 'But he won't turn in him to Sophie-Anne, I can promise you. He'd have to kill me first.' I replied, pointedly starring at Eric. He starred back with as much intensity. Obviously, he had not forgotten our aborted discussion and intended to finish it the moment the Hadley situation was taken care of.

'I want Sophie-Anne to go down just as much as the two of you.' Eric simply dropped, leaning on the kitchen counter.

'Okay, what do you want us to do, Hadley?' I asked her, offering her some tissues to wipe her face.

'I don't know, Sookie. I don't know. I need to get Hunter to safety, and I'm guessing the only safe place for him right now is very far from me...' she said, her voice raspy.

'Can't you bring him to his father's place?' I asked, pragmatic.

'I could. I'd need to call Remy first and ask him if he doesn't mind keeping Hunter for a few weeks.' Hadley answered.

'Where was Hunter the whole time you were at the Queen's Palace?' Eric asked.

'He was with Remy. I had Hunter only twice per month, always on weekends. But the last time he was with me, Sophie-Anne came over and met him. I told him to be careful and never allow anyone to know what his power was, ever since you made me realise he was like you.' Hadley explained. 'But you know Sophie-Anne. She's jealous and doesn't tolerate her humans to have anyone outside the palace. She wants me rid of Hunter I think.'

'And she thinks that if she turns you she will get what she wants...' Eric completed.

'Yes.' Hadley replied, looking at him, all hopeful. 'Can you help? I know you're strong and all...' she started.

'I am older than your Queen... But until the new Magister can find enough evidence to bring her down, I must obey her. Even though she is young, selfish and foolish. She thinks the whole political part is just a game, she doesn't see the bigger picture.' Eric growled.

'Than what do we do?' I said, my voice empty.

'I'm afraid we can't do much for Hadley.' Eric replied, causing Hadley to double back in tears. 'But we might be able to protect Hunter.' He added. 'We have to bring him to his father. It can't be you bringing him otherwise Sophie-Anne will simply follow your track...' Eric started and then he looked up at Hadley, as if he'd just realised something. 'You've had her blood haven't you?' He asked, alert.

'Yes and she mine.' Hadley muttered.

'Then this means Sophie-Anne knows where you are. She might even be on her way...' Eric dropped. Talk about luring the wolf to the sheeps, I thought grimly. We were really in deep, deep shit.


	19. Burn My Shadow Away

**Hello darlings, first of all, I am very, very, very sorry for not updating sooner. I had a busy weekend and I was lacking inspiration but my muse has come back lol I hope you can forgive me for making you wait so long (three days :O) **

**This chapter was mostly inspired music-wise by the soundtrack of the movie Repo Men which I watched this weekend. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's quite an enjoyable movie! I love Jude Law and in that movie, he is quite the yummy sight :) the soundtrack is great and inspiring and fun to listen to. It's a mix of rock, hip-hop, jazz, mambo, etc. **

**The title of this chapter is in fact my favorite song on the soundtrack. So here's a little playlist for you to listen to while reading this if you wish :)**

**Burn my Shadow - Unkle Feat Ian Astbury**

**Bad Blood- Beck**

**Full Moon - The Black Ghosts (haha allow me to puke on Twilight, even though I once was a fan of the books, the movies are juste disgusting, but the soundtrack has some good material, this song is one of them)**

**Sing It Back- Moloko**

**Are we All Forgotten- Paper Route**

**Face - The Black Ghosts**

**The Lightning Strike - Snow Patrol (Part 1 is my personal favorite!)**

**Ta-da. Reviews are my fuel, keep my fire burning :) I love you all very much, thank you for sticking to my story so long! I really hope you enjoy this chapter :) xoxoxoxoxoxxo I'll try and update tomorrow for chapter 20 (already huh I can't believe I've gone that far with this story, seriously :P)**

'We have to get the hell out of here.' Eric muttered, sombrely.

I shuddered. Eric snapped his cell phone open and speed dialled.

'Alcide. We need you. Sookie's place.' There was a silence. I heard Alcide's voice at the other end of the line. 'When?' he seemed to ask.

'Yesterday.' Eric growled before hanging up. Okay so Alcide was on his way. Eric then speed dialled once more and spoke quickly with Pam in Swedish, I assumed. _Right, keep us in the dark, cowboy._

'What's the plan?' I asked him, ignoring my whiny cousin who definitely wasn't going to be any good for the moment.

'Go get Hunter's things, wake him up. I'll glamour him if we need to.' Eric muttered. I ran to my old bedroom and gathered all Hunter's stuff before waking him up.

_Darling, we have to go someplace, your Mamma's here. You can kiss her before we go and then we'll go to your Daddy's place okay?_

_Aunt Sookie what's wrong?_

'It's okay honey, don't panic. Everything is going to be alright.' I told him, helping him out of his pyjamas. I didn't even manage to convince myself. Hadley came into the bedroom at that moment and took Hunter in her arms, tears still rolling on her cheeks.

'Mamma! What's wrong?' Hunter asked her, worried by his mother's tears.

'It's okay baby, everything will work out. I love you so much, baby, so, so much.' She whimpered, caressing his hair slowly and soothingly. Eric barged in the room at that instant. He looked alert and powerful.

'Is the Queen here?' I asked, my voice dry.

'No, not yet. She can't fly...' Eric replied. Of course, not all vampires could. 'But that won't stop her from coming, you can trust me on that.' He added.

'What's the plan?' I asked him while Hadley and Hunter went to the kitchen.

'Alcide will take Hunter to Remy's. The kid will be harder to track if there's a wolf with him.' Eric swiftly explained. 'I regret telling you this but there isn't anything we can do for Hadley. Except get her the hell away from you. If Sophie-Anne wishes to change her, she will. If not now, she'll do it later. We're immortal and very patient.' Eric reminded me. I swallowed hard. This wasn't good news at all.

'So we'll just tell her to shoo off to save our own skins?' I replied, frustrated. I couldn't let my cousin be turned against her will!

'Sookie, please don't make this any more complicated than it is. To save you and the kid, we have to make sacrifices.' Eric countered.

'I'm sorry but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that my cousin was turned so that I could live free!' I snapped, my voice quivering.

'Now I know you humans are very high on guilt and all, but for once, please don't be such a child and trust me!' Eric snarled. He looked very pissed.

'What if we killed Sophie-Anne?' I suddenly whispered.

Eric snapped his head back at me and almost growled.

'What the fuck do you think this is Sookie? A game? We can't kill the fucking Queen of Louisiana and walk free! If not the Magister, her bloody guards will rip you to shreds!' He roared. I trembled. He was very scary. I felt tears gathering in my eyes and saw him soften at the sight. 'Please don't do that...' He whispered to me, pressing me to his chest.

_...Why can't I resist her damn it? I'd do anything for her to stop crying... I hate it when she cries because of me...Think, think, think damn it. There must be something..._

I pulled back, startled. Again I'd heard his thoughts. And he had no idea. And he couldn't know or I'd be dead, fairy or not.

'Please? Can't we do something? We can't let Sophie-Anne win...' I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks as I gazed at his face. He looked much more the Viking warrior now than he ever had.

'There might be one thing but it would mean Hadley could never come back...' Eric replied, his voice cold.

'What?' I asked, full of hope.

'The Queen's jurisdiction only extends on the territories of Louisiana and now that Russell's dead, Mississippi. If Hadley were to leave those territories and swear allegiance to the King or Queen of any other state, Sophie-Anne wouldn't be able to do anything to her. But that would also mean Hadley wouldn't be allowed to come back to Louisiana...' Eric replied.

'Does that mean...' I didn't even finish my sentence.

'Yes, she couldn't see Hunter anymore. Hunter moving around Louisiana to go to her would be suspicious and Sophie-Anne would know where he'd be...' Eric completed.

'So she has to choose between never seeing him again because _she_ might kill him or never seeing him again because he might get killed?' I asked, my voice catching in my throat.

Eric didn't even bother with an answer.

'Where could she go?' I asked him.

'She could go to Isabelle and Stan in Dallas. They owe us in a way, even though Godric decided to meet the sun...' Eric said. I saw pain wash over his features a quick instant. That sight reminded me of the demand Godric had made of me before meeting the sun: to take care of Eric. It had sounded almost funny at the time considering Eric was the powerful one of the relationship, but in a way, it kind of made sense to me now.

We walked to the kitchen where Hadley was holding Hunter tightly to her chest. Hunter was now crying silently against his mother's neck.

'We might have a plan, Hadley...' I muttered, my eyes on the floor.

'I understand, it's okay. I'll go to Dallas...' she whispered. Obviously they had overheard us.

'Promise me one thing, Sookie?' Hadley whispered to me, hugging me tightly. 'Look after Hunter, help him with his talent?' she asked me.

'Of course, honey, of course. If Remy allows it I'll try and help him as much as I can.' I whispered back to her.

Eric went out of the room and called Isabelle or Stan I supposed to inform them of Hadley's arrival and then he came back in the kitchen. I'd never seen him looking so impatient: with an eternity ahead, Vampires were rarely impatient about anything at all.

I heard a truck outside and barged out the front door, Eric in tow with Hadley and Hunter. Alcide seemed quite puzzled by the sight and I realised he mustn't have been far if he'd gotten here so fast.

Eric and Hadley instructed him to take Hunter to Remy's place which was in a nearby town, a bit south of Bon Temps. I hugged Hunter tight and then he cuddled into Hadley's arms. I choked back tears and watched him go with Alcide.

_Goodbye, Aunt Sookie. Take care of Mamma please?_

_Of course, sweetie. We'll see each other real soon. Don't doubt it, darling. I love you very much._

When Alcide's truck was gone, Eric sniffed the air and turned back to Hadley.

'She's close but if you go and drive fast, you might make it out of the state by morning. Sophie-Anne can't move around during daytime so you might be able to make it to Dallas without problem. Take Sookie's car, you'll be harder to track, it smells of her.' Eric ordered Hadley. I didn't complain and simply ran inside for the keys. I handed them to her, hugged her tight and almost pushed her into the car.

'Thank you, the both of you.' She whispered before she took off.

It suddenly dawned on me it might be the last time I'd see my cousin and I had to fight back the tears. With most of my family dead, it felt like Life was playing a cruel joke on me by taking away from me yet another of my kin.

'Now what?' I asked Eric, my voice trembling. 'Do we make a run for it too? Will she still be headed this way you think?'

'Now we wait.' Eric muttered, kissing me with heat before pulling me back inside.

'We wait for what?' I asked, my voice fearful.

'For Sophie-Anne.' Eric replied.

'What? Shouldn't we try to get away? Can't you fly us to safety?' I said, dumbfounded.

'We'll go to Fangtasia. There at least we'll have backup if she decides to attack.' Eric replied. The next thing I knew, we were in my room and I was packing some stuff to go for a few days away. My house was the last place I would be safe if Sophie-Anne decided to pounce.

We climbed into Eric's Corvette and zoomed off into the night. I felt a big lump in my throat and I realised my world had really been shattered to pieces in the last few months. I searched for Eric's hand. He grasped my fingers reassuringly over the gearshift.

'I know.' Was all he said to me, his eyes still fixed on the road. Somehow, that made me want to cry. I was strained, tired, fearful. Tears welled up in my eyes as the road flew by.

'Stop the car.' I whispered to him. Without asking questions, he drove the car slightly off the road and stopped. We were in the forest, far from town and safety. But I didn't mind. I felt safe with Eric. I slipped out of my seat and slid to his lap, straddling him, my face cradled in the crook of his neck. Goosebumps erupted on my skin when he slid his hands on the naked skin of my back, beneath my shirt.

'You'll be the end of me.' He whispered in my ear, his mouth caressing the skin of my neck.

'When it is over, you'll leave me. You won't have to be with me anymore. And I'll be alone, again.' I whispered, my breath caressing his skin.

'Never.' He answered me, lifting my chin to look at him. 'Never, Sookie, you hear me? I won't let you down.' He added, his gaze dreamy and yet very serious. I gazed back at him, my hands snaked around his neck, tugging at his hair, trying to pull him to me.

'Kiss me.' I begged him. He looked at me as if I was the only source of water in an endless desert and brought his lips to mine, roughly. Somehow, I loved it when he got rough with me. It felt as if for once in his life he was genuinely out of control. I didn't fear it when he lost control with me, because it meant he was as affected by me as I was by him. I only feared him losing control when it regarded our safety. I lost myself in his kiss. His lips were making love to mine in the most erotic way. I felt as if he was sucking the very life out of me, yet he was also giving me most of his energy and strength through the kiss.

_I can never lose her. I can't. Won't allow it. Never..._

For the first time of me hearing his thoughts, I didn't pull back.

'You won't lose me.' I whispered against his lips. And suddenly he understood. His eyes snapped open and he gazed at me in wonder. He seemed genuinely troubled too.

'Since when?' he asked me, his mouth still barely an inch away from mine.

'Not long. Not always. I just get glimpses sometimes when we touch.' I explained, mildly afraid that he'd try to destroy that link between us.

'When we made love?' he asked, curious.

'Nope. Though I sometimes wish I could tell what you're thinking when we do. You seem quite the naughty thinker.' I said, playful. He grinned slightly. 'I thought you'd be very, very mad that I can hear you.' I added.

'Can you hear any other vampire?' he asked, his lips unconsciously seeking mine.

'Nope. You're the only one I've ever heard. I thought you'd want me dead for it.' I replied, my voice faint.

He almost growled in anger.

'I was willing to die for you, Sookie. I _would_ die to keep you safe. And you believe I'd kill you myself? If I ever hurt you, I'd never forgive myself.' He growled menacingly. I almost gasped when his lips finally grazed mine again, hungry, demanding and passionate. I whimpered against his mouth when he nibbled roughly at my bottom lip. His tongue licked my lip in the most sensual manner and his hand snaked in my hair, trapping me as if he were afraid I'd disappear. I'd never felt more emotionally overwhelmed than I felt now. My fear for my current situation and my love for Eric mingled and made me feel like I was drowning. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks and he noticed them. He kissed fervently every inch of my face, licking the tears away.

'Don't cry, my love, don't cry.' He whispered to me, his lips on my neck, breathing me in.

'Eric, don't ever leave me.' I begged him, tugging at his shirt, trying to yank it open. I needed his skin, the strength of him, and the warmth. It felt bizarre to me that I'd be seeking warmth from his cool stone-like body, but he exhaled such _joie de vivre _and strength and hunger for the pleasures of life it felt as if he was my own personal sun. For him, I could give up my life in the sunshine, I thought. Not that I'd want to, but if I was faced with an eternity of darkness, I wished dearly he'd be there to be my light. I tried to hear his thoughts and he must have felt my concentration because he simply murmured in my ear.

'Right now, darling, I'm thinking that if we don't stop now, I'll take you out and make love to you on the hood of my car.' He mused. I could feel the bulge in his pants and I knew very well that I must have smelt just as aroused as him. And I didn't mind. The thought of being made love to on the hood of his car in the middle of nowhere excited me to a point where I didn't even recognize myself. I wanted him to fuck me brainless on the hood of his flashy Corvette. But now was not the time. Now was the time for survival and well thought out planning. We had to be smart about our current situation, not go purely on instinct; otherwise we'd spend our nights together having sex over and over again. I'd never felt so attracted to a man.

In fact, before Bill, I had never really felt any sort of intense attraction to a man, but with Eric it didn't even compare with anything I'd ever known. It was as if he was my own personal stash of heroine. I'd watched documentaries about drug addicts, hell I'd even heard Lafayette describing the effects of V on a human, and yet, I felt as if my craving of Eric was even more animalistic than that. I _needed_ him, physically and mentally. I needed him to live, to breathe. I didn't know if that was because of the curse or the blood bond or some other mystical reason, but I couldn't stand the idea of ever seeing him leave me.

'We have to get to Fangtasia.' He whispered, his eyes closed, his forehead pressed against mine.

'I know.' I whispered back, my fingers fluttering over his lips lightly. I loved every single thing about him, his smell, his looks (hell I think I'd never seen such a good looking man in any magazine), his strength, his personality, his love for life even though he'd seen pretty much everything there was to see about it, the way he made me feel powerless, the way he made me want to feel powerless and surrender everything to him.

'How I wish we didn't have to. I'd ravish you till you'd beg for mercy.' He added, a grin on his lips as he pretended to bite my fingers. I giggled slightly. His eyes were still closed and he breathed me in, softly. 'You smell so good, nothing like I've ever smelt before. You're the perfect mix between fairy and human, my little Telepath.' He said, opening his eyes to look at mine. I didn't want to let go of him but he couldn't very well drive with me straddling him. I tried to untangle myself from him but only ended up almost toppling over the gearshift.

'Where do you think you're going?' He asked, smiling. He was holding me in place on his lap. 'I'm not nearly finished with you yet.'

'Didn't you say we had to get to Fangtasia?' I asked, my lips nibbling at his bottom lip.

'Did I?' He asked, his hands under my shirt once more. He unclasped my bra before I had time to protest and yanked it out of my shirt, almost ripping the straps off it.

'What are you doing?' I said, breathless.

'I don't understand why women nowadays insist on wearing these.' He said, throwing my bra on the back seat. 'When I was still human, all you had to do to get to _these_' he explained, his big hands cupping both my breasts through the thin material of my shirt 'was open their corsage. Now we have to fidget with your bloody undergarments.' He chuckled.

'Well, what fun would it be if you didn't have to work a little bit to get to the prize?' I asked, whimpering against his touch. The man knew how to use his hands, there was no denying that.

'No fun at all.' He grunted against my mouth as my hand slid between us to press against his length through the material of his pants. He hissed. I almost ripped his shirt open. There was definitely too much fabric between us.

'You little minx.' He laughed. I yanked his shirt off him, his hips pressing slightly against mine when he lifted his back off the seat for me to yank the material off his back. His hands slid in my pants and he felt the tiny underwear I was wearing.

'I must admit I love the improvement on the panty department.' He said, mischievously tugging at the wet material of my panties. 'I love lace.' He hushed, my skin tingling with desire as his breath caressed it. I grind my hips on him, drawing a grunt from his lips.

'We really, really should get going.' I mused in his ear. He grunted his approval but didn't let go of me.

'We should.' He said, his hands still all over my body. He slid them up under my shirt to graze my hard nipples. I was so aroused I thought I was going to melt in a puddle at his feet. His mouth was back on mine, sucking my tongue into his hungry mouth, his fangs biting it gently and drawing blood from me slowly. I almost purred. He then proceeded to kiss all my neck, nibbling at the skin, sucking and biting softly, kissing again and finally he let go of me. I don't know how it happened but a mere second later I was back in my seat, panting like an idiot. He looked as dishevelled as I felt which reassured me on the effect I had on his libido. He was leaning back in his seat, breathing heavily, his eyes closed, his hands gripping the steering wheel as if he was afraid he'd do something completely different if he didn't keep them there. The bulge in his pants was very apparent and I almost felt like relieving him. A naughty idea came up to me as I tried to regain composure. My shirt left very little to the imagination with my bra gone and I decided to look for it.

'Don't. I like you like that.' Eric grunted, his hand stopping me from investigating my bra's whereabouts.

'But...' I started.

'No buts. I like you like that.' He added, his tongue licking his lips slowly. The man was pure sex on legs.

'Fine. Than you don't get to wear your shirt.' I replied, crossing my arms on my panting chest.

'Miss Stackhouse, what has got into you.' He mused. He reached for his shirt but I snatched him away from him and threw it out my window. He frowned.

'I liked that shirt.' He simply said.

'Not me.' I replied, grinning. I felt infinitely better than I had a few minutes before. And I wanted him very badly. We drove off and spent the rest of the ride pointedly looking out to the road, trying to concentrate on something entirely different then the obvious tension between us. I wanted to jump on him and ravish him. His pants were not getting any more comfortable and I understood he wanted me just as bad as I wanted him. I almost whimpered at the thought of his length stretching me, so I closed my eyes tightly shut and tried to distract myself. I thought about the witches and Sophie-Anne and the grim fate that awaited Hadley if Sophie-Anne ever laid hands on her. But every thought I tried to keep would drift away every time Eric's hand jerked on the gearshift. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He slid his hand on my thigh and pressed it slightly. It reminded me of that time which felt a decade ago when he'd done the same thing at Fangtasia during Bill's trial. His hand slipped higher and I panted.

'No fair.' I whispered, my eyes closing at the sensation his strong hand was able to give me. He left my thigh one second to change the speed with the gearshift and his hand curled back on my thigh, massaging it in a deliberately slow movement.

I pressed my thighs together, trapping his hand between them. He grinned and looked at me.

'You are so not a darling.' He observed, a smile still playing on his lips. It reminded me of my first dream with him and I tensed against his touch.

'I've been wondering...' I started to say, my voice faint.

'Yes?' he asked, still amused.

'Have you ever dreamt of me?' I asked, eyeing him out the corner of my eyes, curious. He kept his gaze on the road and moved back his hand to the gearshift.

'Yes.' He replied, still staring at the road.

'Before or after I'd had your blood?' I questioned him

'Both.' He replied.

I smiled slightly.

'What kind of dreams?' I asked, trying to sound innocent.

'Ones that would make you blush.' He retorted, grinning.

'Which was your favourite?' I replied, flattered.

'My dreams don't even compare to the real you.' He said, mysteriously. We were now very close to Fangtasia and when we turned in the parking lot, I almost pouted in disappointment. Now was time to go back to our serious selves. Which would be hard considering he was shirtless and I bra-less. And we were both obviously aroused. I looked at myself in the car mirror and almost gasped. My neck was covered in slightly bluish bruises. Hickeys on about every possible surface of my neck. But the bruises didn't really hurt. Eric looked at me, smug and proud.

'What did you do to me! I look like a hooker!' I whimpered.

'You look like you belong to me.' He simply grunted, kissing me hungrily. He then slid out his side of the car and with his vampire speed, he had me out of the passenger seat and pressed against the car for a last hungry kiss before he pulled me into the employee door and in the bar. Pam appeared next to us in a whoosh and took in the sight of us.

'You look like sex-crazed teenagers.' She hissed, eyeing my neck with a mixture of displeasure and hunger.

'I feel like one too.' I whispered, my arms on my chest, trying to cover my very exposed breasts. Eric stifled a laugh and dropped me in a chair before explaining to Pam our current predicament.

Pam looked anything but pleased by Eric's report.

'So now not only do we have to deal with a bunch of were witches but also with the Queen. I think you just made my day, Eric.' She snarled.

He snapped at her in his language and she rolled her eyes, her arms crossed on her chest.

'Will you know when the Queen arrives?' I asked, their attention now drifting back to me.

'Yes.' Eric replied, looking for a fresh shirt.

Pam eyed me and smirked when she noticed I wasn't wearing a bra.

'Shall I supply her with one of mine?' She asked Eric, teasing him.

'I would be very much obliged to you.' I said, staring her in the eyes. My hair must have been a total mess and I tried to gather it into a ponytail. I didn't have any elastics with me and Pam seemed to read my mind because the next instant she had a brush and an elastic in her hands.

'Allow me?' she asked, a smile on her lips. I understood better the reasons for Eric's choice. Pam was truly a beautiful woman but she was also predatory. She seemed almost as dangerous as Eric even though she was 800 years younger than him. I simply shrugged and turned back to her on the chair to allow here to brush my hair. She gently passed the brush through my strands and I relaxed. I'd never had anyone but my Grandmother brush my hair. Allowing another woman to do it for me was a bizarre sensation, but I strangely felt good letting her do it. Pam's hands were surprisingly gentle. Eric stared at us with wonder. It must have been a strange sight for him, his vampire child brushing his human lover's hair. I smiled at him and closed my eyes as Pam's hands wandered in my hair, untangling it softly.

'You have the softest hair...' Pam commented. 'And the colour, it's like liquid gold.' She cooed. I almost giggled.

She braided it swiftly and tied it at the nape of my neck. I sighed. I wouldn't have minded her playing in my hair some more. She was very gentle and it felt good to let myself be pampered by someone else. Eric was still looking at us. Pam's hands fell on my shoulders and I almost felt the tension in the room.

'I understand better your fascination with her.' Pam whispered, breathing in the smell of me. 'She's smells delicious. I wish I could taste her. Someday, maybe?' I almost shuddered in surprise. I knew Pam's taste for women, but it was quite a surprise that she'd direct that interest at me, especially considering how possessive Eric was.

Eric frowned and I almost heard a growl ripple through his chest.

'She's mine.' He simply said. I turned to look at Pam and saw that her fangs were drawn.

'You are very selfish, Eric.' Pam commented, her arms crossed on her latex clad chest.

'And you are very insubordinate.' He commented, playful. I couldn't help but remember what he'd told me, about them being lovers centuries ago. I could understand why she'd be attracted to him: every normally constituted human would be, man or woman alike. What he represented for women was the romance novel character that they could only imagine: he incarnated it in the skin. For man, he was the ideal they would want to attain and secretly yearned to become.

And for the first time, I understood her appeal to him. She was strong, determined and ruthless. And she was very feline, a characteristic undoubtedly enhanced by her vampiric state. And most of all, she stood up to him. She understood him and knew that not a single woman held interest in his eyes if they did not put up a fight to him. He liked a challenge and she must have been his biggest.

Until me.

The room was now silent. Pam had sat beside me in a chair and was looking at me with wonder. Eric was staring at his hands, curled on his desk in from of him. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

'What are we going to do about the Queen? And the witches?' I murmured, afraid to break the silence that had grown between us, only broken by the thudding of the music in the bar.

'We found the witches' nest.' Pam dropped, her eyes still fixed on me. Eric sat up in his chair.

'Why didn't you tell me earlier tonight?' He asked her, mad at her.

'Because Chow only just told me.' She replied. 'Some supes have reported a bizarre activity going on near an abandoned building in the industrial part of Shreveport' she explained. 'We think they've jinxed the whole area so that people don't suspect anything.'

'What are we waiting for the attack?' Eric growled.

'They are powerful, Eric. Look at what they did to you...' Pam said, her gaze drifting back to me.

'I could overpower any of them, physically.' Eric replied, smug.

'Yes, but they're quite a few of them. Chow's spies reported a dozen of them, three or four of which are weres. And that's without counting Hallow and her brother. And they all fuel on vampire blood.' Pam continued.

Eric suddenly stood up, sending his chair crashing on the concrete floor. Pam stood as abruptly, alert, fangs out.

'The Queen.' Eric hissed.

Suddenly we hear a loud scream erupt from the bar. It sounded a lot like Ginger. It was soon followed by screams of terror from every human person in the place. Chaos had obviously just erupted in the bar.

Eric took me by the arm. Pam and he walked out of the office with me in tow. When we entered the bar, I almost hurled. The place looked like carnage had taken place there. There were at least half a dozen humans lying on the ground, dead. There was blood on the tables and walls. A few humans were injured and whimpering, trying to escape the hold of the Queen's vampire guard. And in the middle, in a long white fur coat that was splattered in blood, stood the Queen of Louisiana, a cruel grin on her face.

'Well hello there.' She purred when we emerged in the bar. I gazed at her, my eyes wide as plates.


	20. She Will Love You Like I've Never Loved

**Hello my dearest readers! I thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and feedback. I'm really glad that people actually take the time to do that :)**

**I wanted to explain a little something before letting you go with this chapter: I decided that my Eric would live in a penthouse (yeah yeah tacky you might say) but here's why: his real home, the 'windy shithole' as Pam graciously refers to it, is in Sweden, in Erland (Öland) and I don't think Eric could feel at home in any other house, hence me making him live in a penthouse, sort of suspended in the sky. So here's for the little explanation lol I've read plenty of fanfictions that depicted Eric's home in many different ways and I wanted mine to be original and different :P**

**So I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. I do think that I'll try to draw a close to my 'fourth season' in half a dozen chapters or so and then I might go on with my take on the fifth season. **

**HUGS AND KISSES! here's a little music to entertain you all!**

**BTW i almost forgot, Sookie gets mighty pissed in this chapter. I do believe even sweet Anna Paquin could turn into major bitch if the situation requested it :P here it did :D taaadaaaaaaa.**

**My writing here was inspired by Massive Attack :) LOVE Massive Attack. But also others. Give a try to these songs!  
**

**- Paradise Circus -Massive Attack (Remixed by Gui Boratto) (very loungy sexy feel to it :))**

**- Angel- Massive Attack**

**- Boom Boom Ba - Métisse**

**- Painted on My Heart - The Cult**

**ENJOY AND REVIEW :) xooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox **

My fingers reached for Eric's. He squeezed them gently and his fangs popped out. He was shielding me with his body. I took the time to take in the sight of the Queen. She looked a lot younger than I would have expected. She must have been no more than nineteen or twenty when she was turned and she dressed as a woman of twice that age. I guessed it had something to do with the fact she was Queen. Her hair was a flaming red and professionally curled and she had on some very fancy makeup. She was wearing a dress underneath her fur coat and it was a dark lace. She had a string of pearls at her neck and pearl earrings as well as a clutch with little diamonds on it in her hand. She looked utterly amused by the fact that her minions had just murdered a couple of humans and created chaos in Eric's bar. She looked around the place and snickered.

'This place is hideous. I really don't get what you find so amusing in this masquerade.' She scoffed at Eric. He simply tensed next to me. He didn't like her criticising openly his bar, obviously.

'My Queen, what owes me the pleasure?' He simply growled, his fangs still out. She had after all openly provoked him.

'You know how sexy I find those fangs of yours, Eric, but I'd much rather you kept them in your mouth for the time being.' She snarled, a sly grin on her face. Her lips were bright red, almost the same tint as her hair. 'Now I am here because I believe you have something of mine.' She said. She turned to me and smiled at me. 'My pet fae.'

'I'm no one's pet you bitch!' I snarled at her, my temper flaring. Who the hell did she think she was? Maybe vampires had some sort of respect for their hierarchy, but I certainly didn't care if she was Queen of anything at all. I was no one's pet and never would be.

'She's got quite the temper, doesn't she?' Sophie-Anne said, looking at one of her minions. The man she was talking to, or should I say Vampire, was quite the scary sight. He was as young as her and blond of hair. He looked almost like a child but he was very, very scary. His eyes bore into mine with a hunger I had never seen on a vampire.

'I believe you've had the pleasure of meeting Andre, Eric?' Sophie-Anne said, smirking.

'Sadly, yes.' Eric muttered, staring at the young man.

'The pleasure was all his I can assure you.' Andre said, frowning. He took a step forward towards me but Eric was faster. Before I knew it, Pam and him were in front of me, fangs bared, growling.

'Oh don't tell me that you too are infatuated with the little fairy! Eric, I warned you against drinking her blood.' Sophie-Anne said, provocative. Eric hissed at her.

'She has a name, and it's Sookie. And she is mine. Whatever you might have thought you were going to do with her now that Bill is out in fucking Peru doing whatever the fuck he's doing for you, you can't go against the oldest of our laws.' Eric snapped at her, his chest heaving with anger. Through the bond I could feel his anger, but also the fact that he was turned on. I didn't grasp very well why he'd be turned on by the situation but I simply shrugged. Whatever. Violence and sex seemed to trigger the same feelings for vampires.

'But I can order you to give her to me.' Sophie-Anne replied, bored.

'I'm not a thing you can pass around!' I snapped at her, stepping aside from Pam and Eric to face her. She approached me, carefully eyeing Eric in the corner of her eyes to make sure he'd let her inspect me all she wanted. She took in the sight of my braless top and sniffed me out.

'He really is infatuated with you, isn't he?' She whispered at me, a grin on her lips. 'I can't blame you to prefer him to Compton. I must admit, even though I do prefer women, that our Mr Northman does have undeniable charms. If sex with man was enjoyable at all, I'm sure I would love fucking him.' She mused. She gently took a strand of my hair and smelled it, her eyes closing in delight.

'And I certainly can't blame you for fucking her and drinking her blood, Eric. She does smell quite wonderful. And isn't she the pretty sight.' She added, caressing my cheek. I didn't move, afraid of her reaction if I tried to step back. I felt Eric's fingers grasp mine and I turned my head to look at him.

_Whatever you do, Sookie, don't show her that you are afraid. And trust me, whatever I might do, trust me…_

He was thinking at me. And I had heard him. I looked at him intently and nodded slightly to show him I had understood. Sophie-Anne was looking at us, puzzled.

'So, will we be discussing this all night or will you just let me have my fae?' Sophie-Anne said, looking at Andre over her shoulder, a smirk on her face. 'Or I can order my minions to kill every single one of you. I'll blame it on… your insubordinate actions.'

'I'm afraid I can't surrender her to you for the moment, My Liege.' Eric snarled.

'And why is that, Eric?'

'Let's just say Sookie and I come in a package deal right now. So if you want her with you, I'm afraid I'll have to come with you too.' At Eric's words, Andre yapped in displeasure.

'I HATE him, Sophie-Anne, he's terrible. I don't want him in New Orleans with us!' He said to Sophie-Anne, looking at Eric with disgust. Well fuck me, I didn't understand what this was supposed to mean.

'Get over it, Andre, the man took your lover from you what, two centuries ago? Jesus, the man is such a relic sometimes.' Sophie-Anne scoffed, her words directed to Eric. I wasn't sure who the relic was to her since I knew for a fact she was younger than Eric by a good three or four centuries. I decided to ignore that. That and the fact Eric had stolen a lover from Andre. Both of them having the same taste in women surprised me enough but I wasn't going to have a fit of jealousy just yet. There were others matters at hand. The bar was by now empty apart from us and the bodies of the unfortunate humans who had suffered Sophie-Anne's minions' wrath. I turned back my attention to the matters at hand.

'So why is it exactly that I should have to take you along with my fairy?' Sophie-Anne snarled, wrinkling her nose at Eric. I turned to look at Pam and see how she reacted to all this. I was rather surprised to find her smirking. She found her Queen to be quite the amusing bunch.

'Because we are cursed.' Eric replied, matter-of-factly.

'What the hell? Can't you stay away from trouble? Last time the fucking maenad, now witches? What is up with fucking Renard Parish and its insipid inhabitants!' Sophie-Anne swore.

'It's not me who can't stay away from trouble, it's trouble that can't stay away from me. Seems even trouble likes my good looks.' Eric joked, coldly. Sophie-Anne almost smirked.

'What kind of a curse have they put on you?' Sophie-Anne asked, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

'If I knew I'd have gotten rid of it by now, don't you think? All we know for sure is that she has to stay with me.' Eric said, dragging me to him, moulding our bodies in a way that vividly reminded me of our earlier fumbling in his car.

'So I have a choice to have you and her or nothing, is that it? Well I'm not pleased at all, Eric, not at all. I don't want you in New Orleans! Although I sure wouldn't mind watching you having sex, it must be quite a sight after all, I don't want you seducing all my humans away from me!' Sophie-Anne hissed. 'Plus, you suck at Yah-tzee.'

'I thought you would show more understanding especially since we got you rid of that insipid husband of yours…' Eric mused, one of his hands possessively draped around my hip, the other lost in my hair.

'Yes I did forget to thank you for disposing of Russell. The man was trite and overall disgusting. But that doesn't change anything to our current predicament. I _want_ my fairy.' She continued, stepping towards the entwined figure Eric and I formed. My breath was ragged. It happened whenever I was this close to Eric. He caressed my hair softly.

_Relax, lover, I won't allow her to hurt you…_

I craned my neck to look in his eyes. He stared down at me. There was an hint of a grin on his handsome face.

'Eric, you look like a lovesick puppy. Please stop at once, it makes me want to hurl.' Sophie-Anne snapped, wrinkling her nose at us in disgust. 'I am quite surprised that you'd act like this. It must be her blood. You told me before that you didn't love humans, couldn't love them. Nor should you, for all I know, humans are food and companionship, not lovers or equals.'

'Aye but she's not human now is she?' Pam said, stepping forward. She looked like a feline, predatory and dangerous, yet in equal parts, very seductive.

'True.' Sophie-Anne said, eyeing Pam with delight. Pam cocked an eyebrow at her and stepped forward once more, her hand caressing Sophie-Anne's arm softly. Sophie-Anne did not budge even though she was Queen and her inferior was now touching her. Instead, she turned away from us completely to devote all her attention to Pam.

'You are quite the sight' Sophie-Anne said, her voice now a soft seductive purr. 'I can see what fascinated Eric enough for him to turn you. You are very loyal aren't you?' She continued, baring her teeth in a sexy smile.

'As a dog.' Pam replied, snarling softly, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

'What a shame, I'd enjoy having sex with you.' Sophie-Anne said, bluntly. I would have been shocked by her straightforwardness had I not gotten used to vampires acting this way. 'I suppose you wouldn't want to join me in New Orleans?' the Queen asked, still in awe with Pam.

'Not in a thousand years, darling.' Pam sneered, a smirk on her perfectly painted lips.

'Pity.' Sophie-Anne replied. She then turned back to us. The entire time, Andre had been staring at his shoes, obviously in downtime. He was now staring at me with hunger once more.

'Can we go?' he whined at Sophie-Anne. 'I'm getting bored and I'd really love to snack before we go back home.' He said. Obviously he intended me to be his snack. I felt a growl ripple through Eric's chest.

'Now, now, no need for the growls, Eric. Andre won't have your fairy as a snack.' Sophie-Anne muttered, eyeing me with contempt. 'What do you suggest we do, Eric, if you cannot part from the little telepath?' She asked Eric. His grip tightened on me.

'I will deal with the curse and when we are not bound by it anymore, we will go down to New Orleans to decide of our future arrangements.' Eric said. I was at first baffled by his promise, but then I remembered he had asked me to trust him. So I did.

'We will.' I said, my voice clear and loud.

'I don't like that plan.' Sophie-Anne sighed, fondling with her pearl necklace. 'How do I know you won't cross me?' She asked Eric.

'You are my Queen. I could never cross my Queen. I never have. Not even when my head hung in the balance.' Eric said. 'Not even when you decided to sell your blood.' He taunted her. She snarled and was about to pounce. Eric let go of me and the next thing I knew, Sophie-Anne was on him and they were sprawled on the floor.

'How dare you provoke me this way! I should really have your fangs, disobedient boy!' Sophie-Anne growled, her hand on Eric's jaw. She was grinding on him and she looked as if she was really enjoying the moment. Before I could say a word, she pressed to his bare chest the blade of a silver knife she'd had in that tiny clutch of hers. Eric hissed at the pain the blade was causing him.

'You whore.' He grunted, panting. His fangs were bared and through the bond I felt how aroused this whole situation made him. He wasn't afraid because he knew he could kill her in the blink of an eye if he wanted to, but he knew better than to risk Pam's life or mine. So he remained under her as she grinded his hips, her breasts pressed to his now bare and bloodied chest as she issed in his ear.

'Oh Eric, Eric, Eric… I told you not to provoke me. You might be older than I but silver hurts like a bitch however old you are.' Sophie-Anne snickered in his ear, her mouth taking his for a disgustingly lustful kiss. He growled but surprisingly enough he didn't push her away.

I felt anger sear through me. Now I was mighty pissed. She had no _right_ to touch the man I loved this way. And she was hurting him. I jumped on her and pulled her off Eric, causing her to topple on her back. The knife flew out of her hand and she seemed genuinely surprised. She'd been obviously too lost in her sick pleasures to react in time. I straddled her and she was about to throw me off her to send me flying across the bar when the incredible happened. It felt as if there was a ball of energy oozing from my hand. I didn't touch her yet because I had seen the effects of that before. I however directed it to her face so she'd see I meant business and glared at her. She was stunned silent and eyed my hand fearfully. Obviously she hadn't known what fairies could do when they were mighty pissed. Well too bad for her.

'Don't you fucking touch Eric. Or I swear I'll kill you.' I hissed at her, stepping off her.

'You are quite funny.' She hissed, a tiny grin on her lips as she sat up.

'Or I'll simply_ wipe_ that smile off your face.' I snarled back, my hand still blaring a blinding white light. My, my, I was turning into a little tiger. Sophie-Anne looked more afraid of being disfigured (even though she'd heal) than dying. She was definitely nuts.

Eric stared at me dumbfounded. He was still lying on the ground and was prompted on his elbow, looking at my hand which was now almost back to its normal state and then at Sophie-Anne. He then took in the sight of the vampires all around the room. All were looking with wide eyes at me. Geez Louise, I had just surprised vampires. I kneeled next to Eric and took his hand, helping him up even though I was no help at all. Oh well, too bad.

'How did you do that?' He whispered to me, baffled.

'Oh I've got skills you can't even dream of, cowboy.' I said, cocky. Sophie-Anne was back on her feet by now which was a bloody miracle judging on the shoes she was wearing: the pumps were at least six inches high.

Sophie-Anne seemed at loss for words. She looked at me with a newfound respect. If that meant anything at all.

'I'll still be wanting my fairy.' She finally muttered to Eric. 'But I guess we can wait for you to visit us in New Orleans.' She completed, retreating towards an equally stunned Andre. Her minions were now standing near the door, reading to run if I decided to stun them with my super powers. I had never thought vampires would cower in my presence.

'Oh and one more thing.' I hissed at her. 'Don't you dare touch my cousin Hadley or her son.' She cocked an eyebrow at me and turned her back on us before walking out of the bar with Andre at her side. He glanced at me over his shoulder before he passed the door.

I breathed better the moment we were alone, Pam, Eric and I. We were safe for now but it wouldn't last.

'How did you do that Sookie?' Pam asked, amused more than surprised.

'I have no bloody idea. It happens without reason when I'm mighty pissed.' I shrugged, looking at Eric.

'I'll be sure not to piss you off then.' Pam added, smirking.

I walked to Eric and pulled his face down for a hungry kiss. I felt as if I had to wash away from his lips the taste of Sophie-Anne. He kissed me with equal fervour and soon I was like putty in his hands from how skilled his mouth was. I left his lips to kiss my way down his neck and on his chest where the wound Sophie-Anne had given him was starting to close. He moaned. Not from pain, I could tell because of the bond. And the fact that his length was anything but subtle. Something to do with the size of _the thing_. Eric pulled my chin up and glared at me, his eyes full of somewhat controlled lust.

'Don't ever do that again. Ever you understand me? You could have gotten yourself killed!' He scolded me, like he would have done a child.

'I couldn't stand her touching you.' I grumbled as an excuse. I noticed Pam left the room at that moment and I turned to Eric, jutting my chin up, defying him to respond anything to that. 'I can't believe you'd let her _touch_ you.' I hissed, my fingers entwined in the loops of his jeans.

'Jealous, are we?' He whispered to me, seductively wrapping his big hands around my waist to pull me to him. He plumped me on the bar so that our faces were levelled. He spread my knees and slip in between my legs, pressing himself to me.

'I don't like imagining other women touching you. Let alone watching them. Especially not _her_.' I pouted, caressing his cheek with my fingers. He stared in my eyes, his gaze filled in equal parts with lust and pride. 'Can we go back home now?' I whined. I was tired as hell. I'd had quite the busy night and I was more than ready to go to bed, safe and sound. Plus, the night was coming to an end and I didn't feel like spending the day at Fangtasia. I looked at the bodies sprawled on the floor and was disgusted at myself for not caring more. All I wanted now was to go to bed.

'You're place isn't safe right now. Sophie-Anne isn't known to keep her word.' Eric whispered, his mouth fluttering over my jugular. The caress of his lips sent shivers down my spine and I involuntarily arched towards him.

'Than where will I sleep? In the basement?' I managed to breathe, sarcastic.

'At my place.' He replied, taking my bottom lip between his and gently sucking at it. My eyes snapped open and I gazed at him. He let go of my lip, keeping our faces less than an inch apart.

'Your home?' I asked, cocking my head to the side.

'Yes. Surely you didn't think I lived here now did you?' He asked, a small smile on his lips. I grinned and kissed him softly before answering. I had a sudden flash of how hard the withdrawal would be on me. I was becoming addicted to him.

'Take me to your place then.' I said to him. He lifted me in his arms, my thighs still wrapped around his hips and I held on to his neck for support. We passed a very amused Pam on our way out and she fluttered her fingers at me in a gracefully goodbye before she was out of my view, taking care of the mess, no doubt, and we were back on the parking. Eric almost barged into his car, taking only a second to shove me in the passenger seat and off the lot we zoomed and into the night. He drove fast as if we had hell after us.

'What's the rush?' I asked him, my brow furrowed questioningly.

'I can't wait to make love to you on my bed.' He answered, his fangs drawn at the thought. I blushed and hit him playfully on the arm.

'Don't we have other business to attend to?' I asked, referring to all the trouble we were in. His cell phone than rang and he picked up.

It was Alcide. He was calling to let us know Hunter was safely home with his father Remy who would be calling me in a few weeks to talk about Hunter. I sighed with relief. Eric then informed him of the advancement in the witch situation and promised to keep him informed the next night. And then I got Eric's attention back.

'Shouldn't we be trying to do something useful?' I asked, my hand on his arm which tensed every time he switched the speed on the Corvette.

'It's almost dawn and right now, all I feel like doing is fucking you till you beg me to stop.' He replied. I shuddered all over. Through the bond I could feel his arousal almost being thrown at me. I touched his skin and got a flood of very unchristian images that made me gasp. _Very _unchristian images. That still made me blush and want him more.

'You are so naughty, Eric Northman!' I yelped. He glanced at me and grinned.

'No fair, Miss Stackhouse, how can I surprise you if you see all my schemes in advance?'

I turned my attention back to the road and tried to concentrate on something else than his intoxicating presence. My entire body was yearning for him and my panties were probably soaked through by my arousal. I wanted him that bad. Suddenly Eric's car turned towards an underground garage door. We were in a busy part of Shreveport (by day, I guessed since it looked like downtown) but right now it was mostly deserted. We were at the foot of a very tall building.

'What are we doing here?' I asked, surprised.

'I live here.' He replied. The garage doors opened and he sped in the underground parking lot to a section which was empty apart from a few sports cars and a beautiful convertible.

'Nice rides.' I breathed. Jason would have loved to try one of those, I thought with a pang of sadness. My brother was still missing and I had yet to hear from Andy Bellefleur and his investigations on the matter.

'You can try them any time you like.' Eric said, cocky. I stared at him in disbelief. 'They're all mine.' He explained, obviously confused as to why I was looking so surprised.

'Why do you only ride this one if you have all of these?' I asked.

'They are a bit too flashy for Renard Parish don't you think?' He teased.

'Because a Corvette is your way to blend in, of course.' I replied, a grin on my lips.

'I'm simply nostalgic for the fifties, my love.' Eric replied.

'Of course.' I teased back. He grabbed my face with his hand in a gesture both sweet and commanding and brought my lips to his for yet another searing kiss. When he finally let go of my lips, we both slid out of the car and I looked at his cars. They were all worth more than my house. I pouted.

'Are you going to give me a tour?' I asked him as we walked to the elevator shaft.

'Anything you want, my love.' He whispered to me.

'What floor?' I asked. He simply pressed the PH button. Of course. Where would Eric live if not the Penthouse? I found it a curious choice for a vampire since they so feared the sun. As the legends had it, I would have believed he'd have lived in a dark gothic manor in the forest. Instead, he lived in one of the most luxurious apartment towers of Shreveport.

The elevator ride was tense. I could tell he wanted to take me right up against the elevator's wall, and I wouldn't have stopped him. But I was rather curious as to what his home looked like. When the doors of the elevator whooshed open, it dawn on me: he owned the entire floor. I stared in disbelief at the room we were standing in. Most of the outside walls were windows, that were tinted so dark it was hard to see outside. Eric turned on some lights. The middle of the cathedral-ceiling room was taken up by a very modern four-sided granite fireplace which roared to life with the click of a switch. The entire floor was a dark ebony wood and covered here and there with plush carpets of the finest cream wool. The furniture was equally modern and low sofas literally littered the room which was enormous. One of the inside walls was covered with books. Rows and rows and rows. There must have been there more books than I could ever read even if I lived a hundred years and spent all my time reading.

'I've read them all.' Eric answered my silent question. I smiled at him and continued exploring. He plumped down on one of the cream sofas where were splattered blood-red cushions and seemed to relax, enjoying the fire and my discovering of his place. Even though everything felt very modern in the house, the tables were covered with mismatched objects that looked anything but modern. There were baroque jewels that seemed to date back from the middle ages, beautiful swords, knives, trinkets of all sorts. They were Eric's treasures, I could tell. My fingers grazed the engraved handle of a particularly beautiful sword with a beautiful stone set on its sheath.

'My father's.' Eric said, his voice low and calm.

'It's beautiful.' I whispered.

However grandiose the room was, I still felt very cozy in it. Perhaps it was due to Eric's presence, or simply because the entire thing felt so much like _him_. Equal parts of aged and ancient mixed with modern and edgy. My toes sunk with delight in the plush carpets as I approached Eric.

'Show me the rest.' I asked him, grabbing his hand. We continued our exploration, Eric leading me from one room to the next, allowing me to delight in the beauty of the whole. He had somewhat peculiar tastes in the choice of colour, most being vibrantly contrasting such as his cream couches with crimson cushions, but the furniture was elegant and obviously expensive. He surprised me by the fact he had a kitchen, and a beautiful one at that. He also had the most beautiful bathroom I'd seen in my lifetime. It was quite a sight for a Bon Temps girl to see a spa in a bathroom.

'The windows?' I asked, pointing to the dark glass.

'Sun proof for the daytime. But you can still see a bit outside. Not much, but enough so that the view isn't lost.' He said, his voice a low purr. He grabbed me and kissed me hungrily before showing me the terrace. It overlooked the entire city and there was a narrow but very long pool on it. Its water looked warm and inviting in the chilly air of this November night.

'You like to swim?' I asked him, curious. I remembered this one and only time my parents had brought Jason and I to the beach and how at home I'd felt with the sun and sea. I loved swimming.

'Yes. Reminds me of my human childhood.' He replied. He cuddled me to his bare torso where the wound had now disappeared, trying to warm me up. Even though his skin was far from a warm temperature, his simple touch made my own temperature zoom a few degrees higher. He pressed my chest to his own and laughed softly.

'Are you cold, Sookie?' He teased, referring to my erect nipples. I playfully slapped his hands away and continued in my exploration of his magnificent penthouse.

He had a room full of DVDs and a huge screen resembling that of a movie house. I cooed in delight when I spotted my favourite movie, _Gone with The Wind_.

'I take it you like Scarlett O'Hara?' he teased me, dropping the DVD back in its place before pulling me in his arms.

'Enough of my humble household. I want to show you the _pièce de résistance_.' He whispered in my ear seductively.

'Humble household?' I scoffed. 'There's nothing humble about you.' I whispered back to him, my hand on the fly of his jeans, feeling the bulge his length made there. 'Especially not here.' I continued, my lips on his neck, sucking gently at the skin.

He moaned and literally dragged me to the last room. His bedroom. The door was dark wood. When he opened it, I couldn't help but sigh. The room was gorgeous and cosy and warm and inviting. The king bed took up most of the center. It was low and covered in the thickest bedspread in a darker cream colour. Throw pillows were everywhere in all shades of turquoise and gold. One of the walls was draped with thick golden curtains and I guessed that behind was a wall-full of windows. A door opened on one wall but I had very little time to inquire as to what stood behind it. The moment I was done taking in the comfortable air of glamour the whole room held, Eric was all over me, kissing every accessible inch of skin from my cleavage to my hair. I moaned softly. The sight of the bed had reminded me how tired I was.

'Eric, I'm so tired.' I whispered softly, pulling his head up so I could look him in the eyes.

'I'll be gentle.' He whispered back, his lips demanding and yet surprisingly soft. His hand slid up under my shirt and removed it. We were now both shirtless and the feeling of his chiselled chest on my bare breasts made me whimper.

'Don't be _too_ gentle.' I moaned in his ear, my nails digging in the skin of his shoulder blades as he pushed me down on the bed. This man could definitely make me swoon.

'Your wish is my command, my love.' He said to me, tugging at my hair as he unzipped my pants.


	21. Oh Well The Devil Makes Us Sin

**Hello my dears! I'll be posting two chapters today cause I've been awful this week (did I post like one or two chapters only?) Whatever it is, I'm soorryyyyy here I'll make it up to you!**

**This chapter is smut, smut, smut oh and some more smut :) I felt like we all deserved some sexy time with Eric and Sookie. Hopefully it's a hit and not a miss and you'll enjoy it (some of it is quite intense in a DIFFERENT manner... i'm no big fan of very explicit smut so I try to leave so mystery to it without making it sound cheesy either :P) **

**So here you go! Title is inspired by my number one song right now: Paradise Circus. I can't begin to say how much this song fits my current mood! **

**Enjoy and review, it makes me really happy! :) xoxoxoxo**

I lay panting like an idiot. I felt rather stupid. We hadn't done anything yet and already I was almost begging him to pound into me until I forgot my own name. His mouth was on my jugular, making me yearn for his touch. He was the devil impersonated.

Suddenly he wasn't on me anymore. I lay in my panties on the ruffled bedspread which was as comfortable as it looked. I looked around the room but couldn't see him. I looked at the door I'd seen earlier. It was opened and a dim light filtrated from it. I stood up on wobbly legs and slowly made my way to the door.

'Eric?' I breathed. I walked in the room. I couldn't make out much of anything. It looked like a walk-in closet except there were a pair of chains hanging from the ceiling with shackled tied at the end. I teasingly caressed the metal which felt icy cold against my heated skin. Suddenly, he was behind me and I couldn't see a thing. He had blindfolded me.

'Eric…' I whispered, trying to find him.

'Trust me…' he breathed in my ear, binding my hands over my head. I gasped when his mouth found mine. He was stark naked and I could feel every inch of him pressed against my flushed skin. The manacles were low enough so that I wasn't uncomfortable, just rendered very vulnerable by them. It felt wildly exciting to be completely at his mercy in every way possible. I'd never experienced anything quite like it but I felt as if he was the perfect person to try such wild things with. He knew very well what he was doing.

'Being deprived of a sense' he started explaining, his mouth trailing wet kisses down my spine. 'Tends to render one's other senses' he continued, his mouth now midway down my back 'Very, very acute.' He completed, planting a kiss on the edge of my panties. I gasped as he slid around me to face me. I could feel his erection pressed against my stomach and I moaned when his mouth found mine again.

'You done this before?' I asked him, out of breath, when his mouth finally left mine to suck at my neck. I would bear even more hickeys tomorrow morning than I already was, I thought.

'You jealous, my love?' he said, cocky. His hands were on my hips, his fingers slipped beneath the thin lace of my panties, teasing them down very slowly. He left them on though, revealing just enough skin to make me burn with desire for him to touch me.

'You _wish_.' I said, my lips looking for his. I couldn't see him but I could feel him very well.

'I _know_.' He corrected, one of his hands sliding up my belly to curl around my left breast. 'I like it. I wouldn't want to imagine you with any other man.' He added. I gasped when he teased my nipple and his other hand soon joined in as his mouth explored my throat, my neck, my earlobe. I thought he'd set me on fire if he didn't do something more intense very soon. I tried to untie my hands but they were well clasped in the metal manacles.

'No cheating.' He whispered, his mouth and hands abandoning my body. I was suddenly very cold and very aware of what I must have looked like.

'Eric?' I asked, breathless. I listened carefully. He was still in the room and I could hear the soft purr that rumbled through his chest. I arched my back so that my breasts were jutted forward where I knew he stood. Being blindfolded really made my hearing more acute, but not only that. I was a lot more sensible to smells: the room reeked of sex, of my arousal, of his. My skin burned from where his hands had been a few seconds prior and goose bumps erupted everywhere when I felt the lightest caress on my belly. A feather.

'I'll make you pay for this…' I warned him, my lips parted on a silent moan. He chuckled softly and teased me some more with the feather, bringing it to the crease of my collarbone and down, twirling it in an unbearable manner on my now heaving breasts. The feather then continued its impossible dance down my legs and up, teasing the inside of my thighs. He then brought it up on my back and stopped on my neck, his mouth joining in.

'Oh God.' I gasped softly when his mouth sucked at the skin right behind my ear, moving my hair softly out of the way. I could smell him now even better than I had before and he smelled heavenly, a manly yet soft smell at the same time. Sandal wood and something else I couldn't quite place.

I held my breath when his heated hands resumed their silly games and relieved me of my panties. I was now completely naked and his body joined mine. His skin was almost as warm as mine which was a surprise considering he usually ran a good few degrees cooler than me.

'You are the most delicious thing, my love' He whispered to me, his hands trailing fire down my sides. He grabbed my behind and pressed our hips together, trapping his erection between my stomach and his. I panted, my mouth searching his, trailing on his jaw. He growled softly against me and I tried to shake the blindfold off my face.

'Let me see you, I love looking at you.' I whispered to him, pleading. He was now grinding me against his body, causing delectable friction on my south side. I moaned and he finally unbid my hands, leaving the blindfold on. I tried to take it off but he trapped my hands behind my back.

'Not quite yet, my love.' He hushed in my ear, pulling me with him. I couldn't tell exactly where we were going but I was very aware of our bodies that moulded nearly perfectly, our desire for one another quite obvious.

'Where are you taking me?' I breathed against his neck.

'It's a surprise.' He replied, biting my bottom lip roughly. He picked me up and carried me for a few long seconds. My mouth was trying desperately to catch his lips but whenever I was close to getting it, he'd turn his head to one side and chuckle softly. The man was a total tease.

Suddenly, I felt cool air whoosh on my flushed skin and then I felt the warm water. We were in the pool. I grabbed his hair in a fistful and pulled him to me. The feel of the water on my skin was amazing. He was tall enough to touch the bottom of the pool whilst I wasn't. He pulled my legs around his hips to keep me balanced and pressed his back on one side of the pool. I pulled his head towards my blindfolded face and we bumped nose.

'Bite me' I whispered to him, craning my neck to offer him my jugular. He grazed his fangs on my skin, growling. I took this opportunity to unbind my eyes. I could see the night was lighter than when we'd arrived to his beautiful penthouse. He lifted his head surprised and I quickly blindfolded him.

'There. Let's see how you manage like this.' I teased him.

He didn't remove the blindfold and smirked.

'Must I remind you that we have extremely good smell and instincts?' he grunted, his mouth back on my neck. He hadn't bitten me yet and I was grinding against his shaft, pressing him to do something, anything. I felt like an elastic band, pulled to its limit. I needed some sort of release.

'Bite me.' I whispered again in his ear. One of his hands snaked around to the nape of my neck as if he knew me by heart and his mouth found my jugular in a swift move. His other hand slid down to my core and started a delightful rhythm down there. The man was good even without his sight. I bit my lower lip. His mouth was sucking softly at my skin. 'Please.' I begged him. My eyes snapped closed in delight when his teeth pierced my skin. I think I must have cried in ecstasy as he pushed me harder to him and his fingers slipped in me in a swift move. I panted against his ear, causing a low rumble in his chest.

'You're perfect, my love.' He whispered in my ear when his mouth finally resumed sucking at the tiny wound he'd created on my skin. I kissed his mouth softly as the rhythm of his hand increased. I could taste my blood on his lips and it almost made me purr. I was going to come undone very soon and he could feel it so he stopped slowly.

'Don't stop, you bloody tease.' I cried, biting his neck playfully.

'Not yet.' He simply muttered, dragging me with him out of the water. I shivered in the cold, keeping my body as close to his as I possibly could. Considering the man was very strong, I almost felt like a piece of clothe, draped against his firm chest. My legs were still entwined around his hips and he pushed the glass doors that lead inside with his beautiful butt before lowering us to the plush carpet right in front of the fireplace. The heat that radiated from the glowing flames made me shiver in delight. The throbbing at the apex of my thighs was insufferable. I needed him to finish. He loomed over me, descending on me, sucking at my skin from my jaw bone to my breasts, than my stomach and finally, my core.

'Oh god!' I sighed as his skilled hands joined his mouth to pleasure me. When I finally came, he bit me on the inside of my thigh, sending shudders of pleasure rolling under my skin as my mouth formed a silent 'O'. When he was done drinking, he pulled himself up and rested next to me, his erection seemingly painful. I breathed heavily for a few seconds and then decided it would only be faire for me to return the favour. I pushed him on his back and descended on him in a very similar fashion as he had used on me, planting kisses down his chest. I spent more time than necessary on his pectorals, biting and nibbling at his nipples. He groaned and closed his eyes at the feeling.

'Sookie…' he whispered, his fangs out, grazing the skin of his bottom lip as he writhed beneath me.

I finally came down on his navel and lower where started caressing his length with my hand. He was too big for me to take him all between my lips so I helped myself with my hands. I teased the tip of his length with my tongue. He hissed and dragged his hands in my messy curls, pulling me closer to him.

'No cheating.' I whispered to him, blowing softly on his very sensitive and wet skin.

'Don't stop.' He simply whispered back, as I slid him in my mouth, caressing him with my tongue. I might not have been his most skilled student in the bed department, but he sure enjoyed himself as I judged by his hips buckling against me. I continued my ministrations a few minutes and then I felt his hands tense in my hair, and I looked up the length of his chest in his eyes. He growled and pulled me off him, turning us over in a swift move so that I was kneeling in front of him, my back pressed against his. He entered me softly, teasingly and I moaned, my neck craning to capture his lips. I was straddling him, my back on his chest as his hands found my most sensitive nub and started caressing me in the same rhythm his hips imposed on me. He was going slowly tonight and holding back and I tried to increase the rhythm but he wouldn't let me. We came almost at the same time as one of his hands snaked to grab one of my breasts and his mouth descended on my neck to bite me once more.

'I love you.' I breathed so softly that I wasn't sure if he'd heard it. We lay panting on the comfortable carpet, spooned, his hands brushing my mated hair out of my face. He didn't reply anything but his grip tightened on me, his mouth nibbling on my earlobe teasingly. I felt safe and decided to forget everything that wasn't him for the time being.

'What are we going to do about the Queen?' I asked him, long moments later. I could see the sky had lightened a lot and the sun was going to rise soon. I had just had the craziest and most incredible life in years.

'I'll find a solution' He reassured me. 'But I swear I'll never let her have you.' He added. I rolled on my back and looked at him. He was perched on his side, pulled up on his elbow, looking down at me in a daze.

'You never want to speak of when we're free of the curse…' I suddenly said, my voice a little over a whisper. He looked at me thoughtfully. 'What happens when we're rid of it?' I asked him, holding his gaze.

'You'll be mine, just as you are now.' He replied, smiling softly.

'But what of your job and mine? When will you ever have time for me once you're back at Fangtasia?' I asked, worried.

'You'll move in with me and you can be with me every night.' He replied. But then he saw the pain on my face and corrected himself. 'I'll move in with you if you'd prefer. I could stay with you forever, Sookie Stackhouse. I'll care for you and protect you and we'll make love every night until we're one.' He whispered, his mouth closing the space between us for a searing kiss. I felt tears well in my eyes and tried to swallow them back. I was suddenly very aware of how hard it would be on me the moment he would move on and forget me. I'd grown accustomed during those few days and nights we'd spent together to having him all to myself, with me at all times. I felt complete with him and was afraid the withdrawal of him from my life would hurt me just as much as it had hurt to lose Bill. I would have loved to believe his sweet words but I knew better than to even imagine Eric living with me in Gran's house in Bon Temps. I curled against his chest and whispered: 'Night, cowboy.' The next thing I knew, I was drifting to sleep and he dropped a thick creamy blanket on me, carrying me back to the bed where he lay next to me, his hand draped over my hip.

I woke up long hours later and was at first startled. The room was pitch black, thanks to the thick golden curtains and I could feel the weight of his arm. Obviously, he was sleeping. I tried to free myself and slipped out of his strong grip, crawling out of bed in the darkness. I tried to find the door that lead to the bathroom but didn't know on which wall it stood. I finally found it and closed the door behind me before turning on the lights. I was sure it was mid afternoon at least. I looked at myself in the mirror and almost gasped in surprise. My entire neck was covered in hickeys and the skin was discoloured. The rest of my body nearly glowed with health and my hair was a crow's nest. His fumbling whilst I pleasured him had made a mess of my already tangled curls. The hairdo Pam had done for me was long gone and I wished she'd be here to braid my hair once more as she'd been quite caring and gentle with it. I hoped in the immense shower and was delighted to find there everything a girl could dream of to shower. He must have had half a department store's worth of creams and pots and shampoos and gels that smelt heavenly. I wondered which was his favourite sent and opted for vanilla since it was my personal favourite. I was rather curious as to why he'd have so much things for ladies since I'd once heard him mentioning he never brought women to his place except for Pam who came, mostly on business. I shampooed and pampered, delighting in the warm water and sprays relaxing my skin. When I emerged from the shower, the entire bathroom was steamed up and I went to the mirror to brush my wet locks. I dried my hair carefully and decided to just wear a bit of mascara and blush. I then realised I didn't have anything to wear so I slipped out of the bathroom and into the walk-in closet where he'd gotten all naughty just hours ago. I closed the door behind me so as to not disturb his sleep and walked around the room which was larger than I had assumed before.

There were clothes everywhere, neatly lined in shelves and hanging on poles. I grabbed one of his big tank tops and realised I could almost wear it as a dress. It hung loosely on my hips. The only woman's clothes I managed to find in his gigantic wardrobe was a drawer full of woman's lingerie. New with the tags still on some pieces. Obviously he had taste and I wondered if he'd bought any of those for me of if they were just there for his conquests. I realised all the bras and panties were my size and I giggled softly. He _had_ bought these for me. I picked a beautiful dark lace and velvet panty and the matching bra, pulled off his dark tank and pulled on the lingerie before slipping back into the camisole. The underwear was absolutely stunning and I felt the tag on the hip of the panties.

I almost gasped in surprise when I read the price on the tag and hid the little tag at the bottom of the drawer. I didn't even make that much money in a good week at Merlotte's… I silently thanked him for the gift and went back to the dark bedroom where I found the door that led to the rest of the penthouse. The day looked bright and warm outside so I decided I'd tan on the terrace after eating. I went to the kitchen and smiled when I noticed the fireplace was still flickering softly, the carpet next to it ruffled by our nightly games.

I opened the fridge, and sure as my name is Sookie, there was food. A couple of shelves were lined with True Blood and there was also a few bottles of what must have been the equivalent of a _Grand Cru _vampire style, a sort of blood called Royalty with the age of the blood scribbled in elegant blood red letters on the black tags. I looked at the human food and grabbed eggs and sausages and all that I fancied to cook myself a fancy late breakfast. Once I had eaten, I went out on the terrace that overlooked Shreveport. The town looked as if it were bustling with activity and I could hear the car horns down below on the busy street. I suddenly realised that it was mighty dangerous for Eric to live here with no security at all. I would ask him later about it. I lay in one of the chaises and pulled off his tank, leaving on just the bra and panties as I soaked up the sun. After a few minutes, I got bored of not doing anything so I went back inside and chose a book to read before I returned to my chaise. I lay in the sun for a good two hours and then the sun started to get lower and lower in the sky. It felt quite dizzying to live by night and sleep by day. I stepped back inside and decided to watch _Gone with the Wind_ whilst I waited for him to wake up. I was almost halfway through the second hour when he came in the room, surprising me with a kiss on my neck.

'Did you sleep well?' I asked him as he plumped in the sofa next to me.

'I missed your warmth.' He admitted, scooping me off of my seat to pull me to his lap. I cuddled to him, my head resting on his chest as I listened desperately for a heartbeat. I found myself silly for even trying to hear such a thing in a Vampire, but I'd probably never get over this little habit of mine.

'What are you doing?' He asked, chuckling softly as I pressed my ear to his chest once more.

'Trying to determine whether or not you vamps are really heartless.' I replied, grinning.

'Our hearts don't beat. Doesn't mean we don't have one.' He replied, breathing in my hair. 'I love vanilla on you.' He added, twirling my curls on his fingers. 'And I love the smell of the sun on your skin.' He added, playing with the tank top. He suddenly lifted the bottom of it to expose my new panties and smiled.

'I see you found them. These are not my personal favourite though.' He said, grinning slightly. I frowned at him.

'You have such bad manners with women, Mr Northman.' I replied, cocking an amuse eyebrow at him.

'White or red looks better on you with that delicious tan of yours.' He explained. The next moment he was gone and back with a pair of red lacy underwear and the matching bra. 'Put these on.' He murmured, pulling the tank off me. Before I knew it, the black bra was unhooked and on the ground. He gazed for long seconds at my exposed breasts and smiled.

'You tan like a little savage! You already have tan lines.' He grunted, caressing the whiter skin of my breast as opposed to the golden one of my collarbone. 'You should tan naked and make it all even.' He suggested. He was turned on at the mere idea of me lying naked in the sunlight and I felt it through the bond. I giggled and tried to snatch the red bra from him but he wouldn't let me.

'Allow me.' He said. Spinning me around softly, he slid the tiny laced straps up my arms and turned me around once more. He snapped it close from the front.

'Easier access?' I offered, teasing. He then proceeded to remove my beautiful black panties and replaced them with the red ones. He then pushed me back to look at me.

'There, that's better. I love red on you. Makes you look all the more alluring.' He replied. He was wearing black silky pyjama pants and nothing more. His chest was the palest marble and I ran my palms on his smooth skin.

I suddenly thought about my purse and realised I had no idea where it was.

'My…' I started to say.

'In the living room on the table near the kitchen.' He supplied, pulling me with him. I checked my cell phone and realised I had a few messages, I listened to the first one and gasped.

'Your brother?' he asked, serious.

'Andy. He says they found what kind of blood was on Jason's porch.' I said, softly.

'And?' Eric asked, cocking his head to the side.

'It's panther blood. We have to go to Hotshot.' I replied, dead serious.


	22. Hound Dog Howling Bullfrog Croaking

**As promised, the next chapter :) hope you enjoy it ! **

**BTW- I've been getting a lot of comments about how my Sookie asks Eric weird questions when they're having sex. IMO, and no one has to agree with me, Sookie is quite nervous having sex with a guy who's had a millennium to perfect his technique. The way I read the books, I also felt as if Sookie was sort of a little bit masochistic emotionally speaking. I believe Sookie takes freaking ten books to admit her feelings to Eric, even though she knows deep down she loves him, because she is not so sure about herself. She has been raised to doubt people and what they want from her because of her gift and doesn't give in easily to them. She doesn't open up because the few times she has, it ended up hurting like a bitch. Plus, just as Eric doesn't understand why the heck he is so fascinated with Sookie (and it's not just the blood), I don't think Sookie understands what a guy who's been around for so long, can have anything or anyone he wants (and probably has) can find in her. And I can't exactly blame her for doubting the whole shabam even though she loves him. I mean the guy is a walking sex god with money and power and she's the little town waitress telepath. I'm not pulling Sookie down here, on the contrary, I'm just trying to see it the way she probably does (IMO anyways):P.**

**In addition, I must precise I'm basing this mostly on the events of the True Blood series (not entirely since I can't remember all the little details hahaha (yes, I am far, far, far from perfect :P), and in the series, apart for the third season, Eric hasn't given MUCH to Sookie for her to trust him entirely. Eric doesn't put his trust in people any more than Sookie does: he's been around for a millennium and he knows better than to trust blindly and that applies to Sookie too, even though he's quite taken with her (he is in love with her but how do you admit that when you're dead and were genuinely bored with life until a little twenty five years old darling from a small town walked in your bar eh?) And there is the matter of the curse which neither of them really comprehend and that does affect them emotionally in more ways than they can admit it. I think Sookie telling him she loves him (in my previous chapter) was already a big step on her part and she does sort of feel like its one sided since the big boy can't bring himself to tell her he loves her too. **

**Finally, I know lots of you will hate me at some points (just like I sometimes felt like staking Charlaine Harris haha pun intended :P) because I won't allow Sookie and Eric to be the merry happy couple from the start, but heck, my friends, who really wants to read a story of happiness and joy and kisses and honeyed love? People want drama, I'll give you plenty of that :) makes the sweeter moments all the sweetest. As in life, nothing is perfect and no one gets their way by saying Abracadabra. Life is twisted and sneaky and takes a bite in your butt if you're not careful but it can also bring you great joys and happiness. I wish to make my story that way because I believe it will make it all the more interesting to read and worthwhile. But do know that Eric and Sookie are fated. The road is going to be bumpy, but we'll get there :)**

**And I also must mention that I love being able to actually share all this with you because I think the hardest part of an author's life is not being able to explain their point of view as precisely as we are allowed to do on Fan Fiction (since we update chapter per chapter and all) so I wish to thank you all for actually taking the time to read my stupid author's notes haha I appreciate it and it's my way to show you I DO read all your comments lovingly even though I can't reply to all of them and take every criticism into consideration. I can't change my whole story just because some people don't agree with me 100%, but that doesn't mean I don't consider your opinions which actually make this story worth the while for me :)**

**I love you all very dearly (YES I DO!) and I hope you have fun with this chapter (I love writing Jason, he's so profoundly sweet and just a tiny bit slow hahahaha looooooveeeee Jason and isn't he an eye candy on the show? I just love a man in a construction uniform :))**

**BTW (yeah yeah I know, shut up brain much?) have any of you ever seen all the Truebies & Newbies videos for the third season on youtube? If not, PLEASE do watch them, it is a blast (I teared up at Franklin and Tara's interview hahaha they were soooo funny... I swear I'll miss Franklin, wasn't he just freaking hilarious? :P) Anyways, they're all a blast. I leave you on these words of wisdom which you'll all understand after watching those little interviews which might make us laugh enough to forget in two days' time, TB 3 will be gone :'(:**

**ISN'T IT GOOD TO BE THE KING? :) (Alexander Skarsgard, I LOOOOVE you :)!)**

TADA , TATA AND FAREWELL MY FELLOW READERS :) xoxoxoxoxox

I dressed in yesterday's shorts and kept Eric's tank on before we took the elevator down to the garage. I was surprised to see not a single person climbed on the elevator with us since we were all the way on the top floor. I remembered my questions about security and turned to Eric.

'Aren't you afraid someone might intrude in your penthouse whilst your sleeping? I mean isn't it dangerous with the neighbours?'

'I choose them carefully.' He replied, grinning. It then dawned on me.

'You own the entire place?' I asked, my eyes wide in disbelief.

'Amongst other things, yes. I'd love to take you to my farm in Sweden. Much more _grandiose_ than any of that American bullshit.' He replied, smug. I smiled. I'd never been to Europe but I wished I'd get to go there one day. With him perhaps?

'Do you have other vampires in the building?' I asked, curious.

'I had one, but I didn't like him much. He left glamoured snacks in the elevator and they broke some stuff. We are quite territorial. No, most of them are humans. I believe there's a werewolf on the first floor but he's rarely there and he knows to abide to my rules. Most of them are scared of me, the others work for me in some ways or others so they know to not disturb me and keep the building safe during the day.' He explained. The doors opened on the garage ground and we strode to the Corvette. I slid in the passenger seat and off we sped on the highway towards Hotshot. I was very nervous as to what state Jason would be in when I found him. I knew that he was alive, Claude and Claudine had told me so, but I was suddenly very afraid. It wasn't like him to simply disappear and not give any news to us. So he must have been in deep trouble. We arrived in Hotshot a lot faster than I'd have expected. The ride had been silent with me lost in thoughts and Eric listening to some soft and ancient sounding music. He'd told me it was music from his youth and I'd felt like I was adding a piece to the puzzle he was for me.

'Where to, first?' he asked me.

'Crystal's place. You ever smelt her?' I asked, nervous.

'No. But I've smelt your brother. I'm pretty sure I can sniff him out if he's close by.' He replied. We slid out of the car and Eric closed his eyes, concentrating. His nostrils twitched.

'He doesn't smell half as good as you. And those bloody panthers reek.' Eric grunted, grabbing my hand to lead me towards a house just off the road. 'He's been here...' Eric explained, pointing to the trailer home. Hotshot wasn't known to be a rich neighbour, in fact people from Bon Temps tried their best to not mingle with the people from here. Most of the Hotshot habitants lived in trailer homes and had dirty backyards that looked as if animals scattered all around all the time. I reminded myself that they were all were-panthers. They were, in a way, animals. The door to the trailer nearby swayed open and a furious man stormed out, his rifle cocked on his shoulder. He seemed tense and I understood why when I looked up at the sky. It was the full moon.

'What the hell d'you want?' he barked at us. He looked bony and scary and somewhat resembled Crystal. I realised it must have been her father.

'I want Jason!' I replied, frowning. 'I know you have him, give him back to me.' I commanded, my voice strong. Eric tensed next to me and I listened to the minds surrounding me. We were in fact surrounded. And outnumbered by a good twenty people. I knew Eric could defend me, but surely we'd be in deep trouble if they all morphed at the same time.

'We don't have him. Now get the hell away from here.' The man barked, his rifle cocked at me. I knew he wasn't going to shoot, I could read it in his mind. I relaxed a bit.

'Where's Crystal, Mr Norris?' I asked, approaching him slowly. I turned briefly to look at Eric and gestured for him to relax. He nodded slightly and kept a safe distance between us in case he needed to pounce.

'What do you want with her? And how do you know what my name is?' he replied, dumbfounded. I could tell he was trying hard not to morph and I heard crackling noises from around in the clearing and realised the others must have morphed.

'She's my brother's girlfriend. I'd think she'd like to know that the blood on Jason's porch was were-panther's.' I said, my voice icy. The door to the trailer swayed open and Crystal stood there, her face discoloured on the cheek. She always looked like she'd been beaten every single time I saw her.

'What did you just say?' She said, her eyebrows furrowed.

'One of your people has him.' I replied, surprised at how accurate I was.

'That's impossible…' Crystal started to say, but then realization washed over her features. She gasped and looked at Eric and I. She turned to her father.

'Felton!' She simply growled. She apparently had less trouble than the others to remain in human form. She strolled away from the trailer.

'Come with me. The vamp might be of help.' She snapped at us over her shoulder. She led us away from her surprised father and towards another trailer on the road. Eric growled menacingly. I let down my shields and almost cried in relief and anger.

…_I'm gonna die here, I'm gonna die here… Not again, not tonight, I can't…._

My brother was in the shack behind the trailer. I pushed past Crystal.

…_No good filthy human, not good enough for her, am I? Well he won't be either…_

I barged in the shack and almost gasped in shock. On the floor, lying in a puddle of his own crusted blood laid Jason. Next to him was a black panther. Felton. Felton was about to pounce and bite him but Eric was faster. The next thing I knew, Felton lay naked in a puddle of blood with his throat half ripped off. Eric cleaned his mouth with the back of his sleeve and turned to look at Crystal. I was down on my knees scooping Jason to my chest.

'Some brother you have, were.' He growled at her. 'He nearly killed him and you had no clue?' He grunted at her. She stared in horror at her half-brother's body. He was very dead, that I was sure of. 'How is he?' Eric asked me. Jason looked feeble but I could tell he would live. He was a strong man, a fighter.

'Jason… Jason it's me, it's Sookie.' I whispered to him, kissing his forehead. He was wounded, dirty and hungry.

'Sook? Is it really you?'

'Yes, yes it's me. You're safe now.' I whispered back to him. 'He needs to heal.' I said, looking pleadingly at Eric. He understood and bit his wrist before putting it to my brother's mouth.

Jason looked at Eric in wonder, not quite understanding what the man was doing here.

'What the…' he started to say. He'd met Eric only once or twice and Eric had apparently made quite an impression on him. Crystal was kneeling silently next to Felton. My brother drank from Eric, looking at Crystal with wide eyes. He was soon strong enough to stand and most of the scabbing wounds on his body were healed in a few minutes.

'You know the… side effects of the blood?' I asked him, tentatively.

Eric smirked and licked his wrist to close the wound. My very heterosexual brother sure was going to be in for a big surprise and I would have giggled at the thought had the situation not been so dramatic.

'Side effects?' Jason replied, curious.

'Erotic dreams about the provider of the blood. Attraction, lust.' Eric filled him in, his face very amused. Jason wrinkled his nose and I blushed. I had had my fair share of those dreams and most had ended with me waking up in Jason's company and him looking quite puzzled as to why I had such a restless sleep.

'Well, fuck me.' Jason muttered, obviously displeased by the fact he'd taken blood from Eric and not Pam whom (I gathered from a sudden thought) he found very attractive. I giggled at that and he looked at me.

'Don't you read my thoughts, Sookie! I hate it when you do that!' Jason muttered. He looked like the boy who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

'I think I'll like your brother, Sookie.' Eric whispered to me, smirking. I slapped him playfully on the arm and turned to Crystal. Mr Norris chose that moment to barge into the shack.

'What the hell!' He growled when he saw his son's body on the ground, stark naked, blood on his chest.

'He attacked Jason. He wanted to make him one of us.' Crystal finally said, her voice choked with fear and disgust.

'One of you?' Jason replied, surprised. 'How…'

'Bitten not born.' Eric muttered sombrely. 'Half-panther half-human on the full moon. I believe the werewolf legends started with these despicable creatures. I don't think he's had time to bite you enough though.' Eric replied. 'Your fairy blood must have helped too. You still smell pure enough.'

'My what?' Jason asked, his head cocked to the side, more and more confused. Ah right, he didn't know.

'I'll explain later.' I said to him, taking his arm and pulling him towards the door with me and Eric.

'You'll pay for this, vampire! You killed my son.' Mr Norris spat at Eric. Eric bared his fangs menacingly.

'Oh do try. You are in infraction in my area. Try me, were, try me.' He snarled at Mr Norris. Mr Norris growled and his entire body began to shudder. Suddenly, before I knew it, Crystal jumped on her father, trying to stop him from doing something. And then I understood. He was morphing and was going to attack us.

'Time to go!' I yelped at Jason, pulling him out of the shack and back on the grounds of Hotshot. Eric soon followed and eyed the surroundings. Crystal soon joined us, locking the door behind her. She had a deep gash on her left arm.

'Run. Run before they all attack you guys. Surely your vampire can fight one or two in an equal fight but he's killed one of us. You won't stand a chance if the whole pack attacks you.' She said, swiftly gesturing for us to run.

'What about you?' Jason asked her, his hands on her shoulders, worried.

'I'll be alright. I'll go morph somewhere and hunt for the night, let them calm down. By the time they find Felton's body, you'll be safe. I'm sorry Jason, so, so sorry. I should have guessed Felton would do something like this, I should have known. I'm sorry.' She had tears rolling down her cheeks and Jason pulled her in for a kiss before letting her go.

'Can you run, Stackhouse?' Eric asked. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or Jason but the fact he picked me up in his arms supplied the information.

'Yes, sir.' Jason replied, energy coursing his veins. Vampire blood did do wonders.

We made a run for the car, Eric trying not to outrun Jason.

'Nice ride!' Jason commented before sliding in the passenger seat. I slipped in the back seat and Eric at the wheel.

'Thank you. Hope they don't scratch the paint.' Eric growled. The panthers chose this moment to pounce. They circled us and two or three of them jumped on the car. I yapped in surprise. Eric's car purred to life and he sped off, drifting out on the road, causing the panthers to slide off the car.

'Damn it, man, you sure can drive!' Jason commented eyes wide as we sped away from Hotshot at a hundred miles an hour. I was now used to Eric's crazy yet controlled driving but apparently Jason wasn't.

'Man?' Eric asked, frowning slightly.

Eric turned to me and grinned.

'You guys are really nothing alike…' He commented. I stared at him, amused.

'Where's Bill?' Jason suddenly asked. I swallowed hard. Of course, Jason hadn't known with him being stuck in that awful place with Felton.

'He's gone for business.' I replied. Eric looked at me in the rear-view mirror and gave me a sympathetic look.

'Are you still together?' Jason pressed, turning in his seat to look at me. I looked at the tip of my shoes and sighed.

'No. Not anymore. Long story. I'll explain some other time okay? Now would you please tell me what the hell happened to you and how you ended up there?' I asked him, relief washing over me. He was safe and sound, that was all that counted really.

'I came home one night with Crystal and she left and then I was about to put my keys in the door when this other panther attacked me. I tried to fight back and I think I hurt him a bit. He must have knocked me out because the next thing I knew, I woke up in his shitty shack. He came every night or so and would just beat me up or bite me.' Jason explained. I patted his shoulder gently.

'Are you going to be okay?' I asked him, concern tainting my voice.

'I should. I'm mighty glad the monster's dead. I really thought I was going to die there, Sook. How did you find me?' He asked me, turning around to look at me some more.

'Andy had the blood on your porch analysed. He left me a message to keep me informed and I thought you were probably here since it was panther's blood.' I replied. Jason pondered the thought and then nodded slowly.

'Thank you, Sook.' He whispered to me, taking my hand in his. I felt tears well in my eyes. He was all the family I had left apart from Hunter who was now safe and sound with his father, and Hadley, whom I had no idea how she was doing. I was glad my brother was safe.

'Thanks to you too, Mister Northman.' Jason said, nodding officially at Eric who had listened to our conversation with patience.

'You're welcome. I'm sure you can owe it back to me in some way.' Eric said, smirking thoughtfully.

I grunted. Eric looked at me in the mirror. Jason seemed puzzled.

'Alright, you're welcome.' Eric conceded. I beamed at him and playfully darted my tongue at him. He chuckled and looked back at the road. We were almost at Jason's place now.

Jason glanced from me to Eric and then back at me and then at Eric.

'Are you guys…together?' He asked, cocking his head to the side. Jason looked deep in thought.

'Yes. No.' Eric and I replied at the same time.

Jason's brows furrowed.

'Is it yes or no? I mean I have a right to know if my baby sis' is going out with _you_.' Jason replied, forgetting he was talking to a thousand year old vampire.

'You should ask Sookie. I wouldn't be able to define our… relationship.' Eric said, keeping his eyes pointedly at the driveway where he'd just parked his Corvette.

Jason turned to me and waited for my answer.

'Hum… I don't know. I guess?' I replied. I could almost feel Eric's pride radiate through his seat through the bond.

'I guess what? Yes?' Jason asked. I wondered how bad Felton had knocked him out.

'I guess we are sort of going out together.' I completed. I then swiftly kissed him on the cheek. 'Are you going to be okay all by yourself?' I asked him.

'Yes, I guess. I'm a big boy, Sookie. I'll take my rifle and I'll call you if there's anything.' He said before sliding out of the Corvette. He looked at the smooth ride and smirked.

'Thank you Mister Northman. You really have a cool ride.' Jason commented. Eric smirked and I slid in the passenger seat as we waited for Jason to be safely in his house before we were back on the road.

'Thank you, Eric.' I said. Grabbing his hand on the gearshift to squeeze his fingers.

'A pleasure.' He replied, looking at me out the corner of his eyes. 'You really have a peculiar brother.' He commented.

'Yes, Jason is quite something.' I replied, a small grin on my lips.

'If he's important to you, I'll make sure nothing bad happens to him. You do know he took V before?' Eric asked me.

'No way!' I snapped.

'Yes. Your friend Lafayette told me so.' Eric explained.

'It must have been a while back when he was still with that girl of his.'

'He is quite the ladies' man isn't he?' Eric asked, cocky.

'He doesn't compete with you if that's where you're heading.' I replied, teasing him.

Eric chuckled and stared at the road.

'Where are we headed?' I asked him.

'Fangtasia or back to my place. You choose.' Eric replied.

'Can we stop at my place so I can actually get some stuff?' I asked. He simply nodded and drove towards my place. I almost choked in surprise when we got there. On my porch sat Holly and Arlene. Arlene looked terrified and she gazed up at the approaching car.

'Sookie!' she yelped when I climbed out of Eric's Corvette.

'What are you doing here?' I asked the two women, hands on my hips.

'We need help.' Holly muttered. I wondered briefly who was working tonight with the two of them here. I had asked Sam for more days off work because of the mess my life was in right now and was glad I had. I was in no mood for shallow thoughts about my breasts and butt as I served fries.

'From me?' I asked, sceptical. Eric approached us, slowly, eyeing Holly and Arlene. Arlene took step back when she looked up at him.

'You brought a vamp here?' She asked. I remembered the hatred she'd showed me just a few days before and I felt a lump in my throat. Why was she really here? And with Holly?

'Yes from you.' Holly said, looking at Eric and I, ignoring Arlene irrational fear of vampires.

'What is it? How can I be of help?' I offered.

'Do you know anything at all about the witches of Shreveport?' Holly asked me. I looked at Eric and he starred back at me. Oh _yes_, we knew about the witches of Shreveport…


	23. All I Do I Want To Do With You

**HELLO YALL! FIRST OF ALL, LETS ALL CRY BECAUSE WE HAVE TO WAIT SIX FREAKING MONTHS FOR SEASON 4.**

**I decided I might as well do a little top 10 moments for the season finale because I JUST LOVE IT :) yes my dears, I LOVED it... So if you haven't watched it yet, I suggest you skip to the stars down there and the non spoily part of my author's note because IT IS IMPORTANT YOU READ IT :)!**

****** SPOILER ALERT ******

**DRUM ROLLS (the order doesn't count, I just loved all those moments from the finale :D)**

**okay here we go:**

**1) Tara leaving HAHAHAH I don't like Tara. Sorry for all of you Tara fans (are there really that much?) but I was sick of her whining and crying and complaining... Yes, you've had trauma. So did others. Now shut up and cut your hair and go away in your car. Btw, liked her haircut. Was a fresh change :) wish you the best though, Tara :) lots of happy and good times away from Bon Temps (ironic since Bon Temps mans literally in french Good Time hahahaahah!)**

**2) Hoyt's mother and Summer's FBA Intervention. Read FangBAnger Anonymous hahahaha LOVE IT very funny, very fresh. Hoyt, I love you man, you kick your sorry mamma's ass! And Summer is plain dumbwitted hhahaha :)**

**3) HOYT AND JESSICA WANTING TO GET MARRIED HOW FREAKING ADORABLE :)**

**4) SOOKIE SAVING ERIC. HELL YEAH you won't let him roast like that, DUH you like him SILLY :P LOVED that she just ordered Bill to bite her so she could feed Eric. Eric is a silly naughty boy for drinking so much though :P NAUGHTY NAUGHTY but hell we like him like that don't we :)**

**5) Alcide being WEIRD LOLL 'I even had a couple of dreams about you...' Huh big boy, don't tell the girl, keep her GUESSING LOL how adorable though I mean he really likes her he's just awkward as hell. Heck, in the show, after Eric, he's my next man :) In the books, it's a different story... ah well life ain't perfect. LOVE ALCIDE :)**

**6) Eric saying to Bill and Alcide: -HOPE YOU TWO ARE DONE EYE-FUCKING EACH OTHER!- I NEARLY PEED MY PANTS! I SWEAR IT WAS LIKE 2:30 AM AND I WAS ALONE IN MY BASEMENT CRACKING UP BECAUSE OF THAT! LOVVVEEE ERIC'S HUMOUR. HAHAHAH **

**7) Sookie laughing evilly as she poured Talbot's remains down the drain hahaha wasn't that just fun hahahaha she looked SO evil :)**

**8) YIKES MOMENT: Bill BEING A TOTAL WHORE TO ERIC AND CEMENTING HIM! I WANTED TO CLIMB IN MY SCREEN AND RIP HIS FUCKING BILLSHIT FACE TO SHREDS ! ARWWWWW but then it all got better because of number 9:**

**9) ERIC SEXY EVEN COVERED IN CEMENT. I Mean is it even LEGAL for a man to look good even after having been CEMENTED? IS IT? Dear god, the man is gorgeous... Why can't we have boys like that in Montreal? Why oh why? See that's why I want to go to Sweden next summer :D lollll**

**10) SOOKIE FINDING OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT THE BILLSHIT :D hahahahah wasn't that EPIC? Our hearts did bleed for her, but Eric was there to soothe her with his sweet: I'M sorry to see you suffer like that but I thought you deserved to know the truth. Heck yeah she did. Thanks, Viking :) we heart you mucho mucho. **

**After so much emotions, we can all just hope Sookie enjoys her vacation in Lala-FairyLand. (Of course she'll come back, those of you who were like OH GOD SHE LEFT...) I mean come on... Yeah :)**

**My thoughts/hopes/guesses on the twists and season 4?**

**1) Eric will help Bill dispose of the Queen even if he resents Bill for trying to dispose of HIM. Or maybe Jessica will help Bill. Bill's not dying. The Queen might not be either (Btw the fight was just disturbing. They looked like ugly puppets :D)**

**2) Eric will be cursed hahah because Sookie won't fall for his Vampire side so my guess is he'll be amnesiac and cute and adorable and she'll see that sweet side of him she happens to like more than she'd admit.**

**3) Sookie WILL come back from Lala-Fairyland. She wouldn't leave her bro behind. Or Tara.**

**4) We'll get some more of Tara... her new life or something.**

**5) Tommy... Sam is really a fucking whore btw. I was pissed he even shot the poor baby. He can't read. You don't kick a dead puppy! Sam shot his leg or something. He can't have gone all psycho on his BRO! I hope not anyways.**

**6) Jesus will be on team Holly to fight the witches :D and Lafayette and him will have conflicts but be together :D**

**7) Jessica and Hoyt will get their happy time. But Hoyt's bitchy Mamma will make it tough on them. But they're strong :)**

**8) We will get some Sookie-Eric smut. I MEAN COME ON :) We've waited long enough. And the fourth book is full of it... And Alan Ball already confirmed the Witch plot for the fourth season... so technically, we'll get it. At least some smoldering kisses and heavy making out if not the actual shabang... God would I love a twist on that infamous shower scene! Did I mention that I'm in total awe with Alex Skarsgard's impersonation of Eric? Well if not (haha), there, TOLD YOU :)**

**VOILÀ! END OF SPOILERS! SORRY FOR THE LONG LONG RAMBLES BUT HEY, I DON'T GET TO DISCUSS ALL THIS WITH THAT MANY PEOPLE LOL**

****************SPOILERS ARE OVER YOU MAY READ FELLOW READERS :)*************

**Okay I'm almost done here. Just HAD to mention one of my readers and good reviewer made this awesome banner for my story (I was literally drooling in joy and awe) I mean no one has ever done that for me and I was just so so happy I asked her to be allowed to put it here so all of you could see it :) ENJOY! And thank you so much again Mavrosal for that beauty :) http:/mavrosal . files . wordpress . (take out the spaces :) can't post the link apparently :P)**

**Now, thank you all so much for the awesome review and criticism. I love it seriously. It keeps me thinking and imagining twisted ways to keep you all interested in this story :) I know sometimes maybe the chapters aren't always as good as others but I do my best to keep you guys entertained. So here comes this new chapter! Hope you enjoy it!**

**BTW, the comes from the song Cells by The Servant (it's the theme from Sin City but the actual song has lyrics whilst the version from the movie did not) and I love it. I recommend it if you haven't heard it before :) just great vibe to it :)**

**xoxoxooxoxoxoxox LOVE Y'ALL! PLEASE REVIEW :)**

Eric stared at Arlene with hatred in his eyes. I remembered that our last run in with her had been quite an unpleasant one on my part and I sighed.

'Why do you come to me for help? I thought you hated me…' I said to Arlene, frowning.

'She kind of had to. If not for the current mess, she wouldn't be here at all…' Holly supplied. Geez, thanks. I looked at Holly and realised how awkward this situation was all.

'Why me?'

'Why her?' Eric said, his body protectively in front of mine.

'Because of you.' Holly said, looking at Eric with interest. She didn't seem to fear him the least bit which was rather unsettling. Either the woman was insane or she was suicidal.

'What the hell?' I asked Holly, slipping aside Eric to approach her.

'He's powerful isn't he? I can feel his energy. And quite the hunk too.' Holly commented, a sly grin on her face. Eric looked at her, his face puzzled. Yes, Eric was definitely quite _the hunk_, but that was definitely the last thing on my mind at the moment.

'Yeah so what? How the hell did you know we were coming here anyways?' I asked her, suddenly remembering how truly bizarre it was that they happened to be on my porch at the moment I chose to return to my house which I hadn't been to in a few nights.

'We took a chance.' Holly whispered, mystically. 'And we got lucky you actually came.'

'Okay what the fuck is going on?' I said, exasperated.

'What do you know about the witches of Shreveport? And why the hell do they want your new boyfriend huh?' Arlene snapped, cutting to the chase.

'How is that any of your business?' I snapped right back at Arlene. I heard a growl ripple through Eric's chest and I put my hand soothingly on his arm.

_She's lying…The redhead one. She's lying I can hear her heartbeat fluttering like a fucking moth every time she opens her goddamned mouth…She's not telling us something…_

I listened in to Arlene's thoughts and sure as hell she was trying to conceal something from me. Not very effectively.

'You told them where he was? You told the fucking witches Eric was here? With me?' I yelled at her, pushing past a very still Holly to push Arlene. 'Why the hell did you do that, you… you bitch!' I yelled at her. I put both my hands to my mouth at the harsh word I'd just used on a woman I'd considered until recently to be my friend.

'How dare you read my mind you sneaky viper!' Arlene replied, her eyes wide in surprise.

'Lucky for us I did.' I snapped. I turned to Holly.

'What do you need our help for? Are they headed here?' I asked her, knowing she knew a lot more than she was willing to tell us.

'They said they'd kill your brother first and then Tara and then Sam and more if you wouldn't surrender…' Holly said grimly, her face decomposing at the idea of so many people dying.

Eric roared.

'How can they do that? What do they want?' I shuddered all over. I hadn't saved my brother from the panthers of Hotshot to let bloody witches get at him.

'They're powerful. They cursed _him_, didn't they? Any Wiccan could tell. What kind of curse?' Holly asked me, jutting her chin at Eric.

'Something to do with physical distance between us two. We can't part.' Eric grunted, deciding to trust Holly in lack of a better plan.

'Oh. I see.' Holly said, looking from me to Eric and back at me. 'Wow. Impressive. You're lucky.' She said to me. I eyed her curiously but decided to let it go for now. What the hell was she talking about anyways? Arlene was going to snap very soon, I could tell. I listened in on her brain wave. She was quite the strong broadcaster.

_I just want my kids back, poor, poor babies can't believe they took them… Hope they're not hurting them… please let them be alright, please, God…Why won't she just let the monster go so we can all live through this? Vampires don't even deserve to live…_

'They have your kids?' I asked her, my eyes wide in horror.

'When I came home from work yesterday the door had been kicked in and my babysitter was knocked out on the floor. And that freakishly tall woman was in my living room and she told me to tell her everything I knew aboutthe both of_ you'_ she said, looking at Eric 'otherwise she'd kill my babies.' Arlene was now sobbing almost hysterically.

'Hallow.' Holly muttered. 'Hallow has them. She wants him. And since you can't part, I gather she wants you too. Hence her menacing to kill your brother and friends from Bon Temps if the two of you don't surrender and go to them…' Holly completed.

'And how do you fit in all this?' Eric asked her, matter-of-factly.

'They approached the local Wiccans for our assistance. They are a mighty big coven. I've never seen such powerful witches. Must be all that Vampire blood they consume, it seems to fuel them very effectively. They want to grow bigger and take over Shreveport and the whole of Renard Parish I gather…' Holly continued.

'You're helping them?' I accused her, frowning, taking a step back and away from her. I listened on the area and wasn't too surprised to hear buzzing as if lots of people were approaching. Not good. There were a few wolves amongst them.

'I refused. She said she would deal with me later…' Holly replied, not abashed by my accusation. 'I'm not the enemy, Sookie. I know you don't like me much and I don't know why, but I'm not the enemy here, not at all. All I want is to help you.' Holly said, taking my hand and pressing it softly. I suddenly realized I'd never even had a good reason to dislike her and saw that for once I might have been genuinely wrong.

'Alright. People are coming. A good twenty of them. What do you suggest we do?' I asked Holly. She looked at Arlene and sighed.

'She was ordered to keep you busy whilst they made their way here. If you're gone when they arrive, they'll kill her kids.' Holly finally admitted. I gasped.

'Shit!' Eric growled.

'Please, just don't let my kids get killed. Please, Sookie, for the love of God, stay. They don't want you anyways! They just want _him_!' Arlene choked through her tears.

'I won't.' I decided. 'Eric, I think we don't really have a choice here…' I said, eyeing him, fearing his reaction.

He simply stared at me and sighed. He produced his cell phone from his pocket and speed dialled.

'Pam, the witches are going to take us. Be at their warehouse with the weres.' He said to her. I could almost hear her yell in anger. 'Just do it. I don't give a shit. They need me alive to drain me. Yes. No. Just do it damnit. I order you!' He growled. He then snapped the phone shut.

'Can you and your Wiccans be of any assistance?' Eric asked Holly. I was suddenly very nervous. The buzzing was getting louder and louder. They were getting very close.

'Yes. Where and when?' Eric gave her Pam's number and told her to be there in a few hours ready to pounce. We'd have to be very smart about this one because I was sure as hell the witches of Shreveport weren't going to go down without a bloody good fight, bloody being the most important adjective in the sentence.

'Alcide?' I asked Eric.

'And his pack, coming to help us. They'll meet up with Pam and Chow and the other vamps Pam has found to help us.'

I tried to concentrate to read the approaching witches' minds to know what to do but Arlene was crying hysterically and I couldn't stand it. I slapped her hard across the cheek to bring her back down to earth. She looked at me, taken aback.

'Sorry but we need to concentrate here. You're kids will be alright, Arlene. Now just shut up.' I said, harshly.

Holly helped Arlene up and they moved back towards the porch. I could see people walking out of the shadow the forest casted on the clearing around my house. I turned to Eric and kissed him softly.

'Are you sure about this?' I whispered to him, fearful.

'Trust me. I'll protect you.' He whispered back, pulling my lips to his for another sizzling kiss.

'How very touching.' A sneering voice said. I craned my head from the embrace in which Eric kept me and looked at the woman who had just spoken. She was exactly as I remembered her from that brief encounter we'd had in Fangtasia a few weeks ago. Hallow was tall, around six feet I realised, and she was pretty in a bony supermodel kind of way. She had long brownish caramel hair that curled down her back and she had dark eyeliner that made her eyes stand out. She looked at me for a while than turned her attention to Eric.

'So this is it? This is the person our curse tied you to? How very amusing.' Hallow said. I sighed angrily. I looked at the people standing around her. They were of every age and every background but they all looked up to Hallow with both fear and respect. Next to her stood her ugly brother. Where nature had gifted her with bony features that made her face beautiful, the same features on a man made him look like a hungry cat. He eyed Holly and Arlene who were standing on the porch. In the crowd, I finally made out two small kids who were terrified. Arlene's children. Arlene spotted them and yelped, trying to throw herself at them. Luckily enough, Holly had the sense to hold her back.

'Ah right. The kids. You kept your end of the deal, you might as well take those sluggish whiny miniature humans…' Hallow said. She crooked a finger at one of her minions and they let go of the kids who ran to their mom. Coby and Lisa looked fine and relief washed over me. They stared with wide eyes at me and Eric whilst Arlene nearly choked them to death in a hug. She then hurried them to her car which was parked somewhere in the clearing. When they passed by us, the two kids looked at Eric and smiled softly.

'Hello.' Arlene's little Lisa whispered. Eric eyed them and turned his attention back to Hallow. Holly stepped off the porch to stand with us.

'Let's make a run for it!' I whispered to Eric, desperate for some action. But he held my arm firmly in place.

_No. They'll kill your brother. Or someone else. We'll stick to the plan. _

I felt a pang in my stomach and breathed slowly.

'Now, now. Holly?' Hallow said, looking at the Wiccan up and down. 'You are one powerful witch…'

'Wiccan. I'm a Wiccan. I respect the art and our Goddess Nature unlike the likes of you, Hallow.' Holly replied, hatred in her every word.

'Alright, but you would be a great addition to our coven. Why won't you join us?' Hallow's brother said. It was the first time I'd heard his voice and it sounded almost as edgy as his face.

'Never. I already told you I had no interest in your business. I won't stand in your way but don't you try and force me into helping you. I won't do it.' Holly replied, her voice strong and fearless. The woman had nerve.

'Alright. We'll deal with you later. You'll come to our side some day, my dear. One day, but all in due time. Now I have some unfinished business with our Mr Northman here. And his human addition.' Hallow snickered.

'Fuck off.' I muttered at her, my arms draped around Eric's hips as he held me close to him.

'Feisty.' Hallow's brother commented. He was really freaking me out. I remembered that both he and Hallow were werewolves as well as a few others from their pack so I decided to keep quiet for the moment. Hallow shot a knowing glance at her brother and stepped forward towards me and Eric.

'What do you want this time, Hallow?' Eric asked, pretending like he had no idea she intended to drain him.

'You, darling. Just you. You are quite the piece, you know?' Hallow said, her voice now a seductive purr.

'Give me one good reason no to rip you to shreds right this instant.' Eric menaced her, anger flaring through the bond. I tensed up next to him.

'Because whilst you might actually manage to get at me and my brother, I rather doubt you'd have time to kill the entire coven before they ripped your precious little human to pieces and picked their teeth with her bones…' Hallow said, taking another step towards us. She then turned to two of her minions and spoke to them in and unknown language. Before I knew it, they were on Eric with silver chains and my skin burnt in the exact same places his did. I then remembered how I'd felt when the Queen had cut him with her silver knife. I'd felt his pain but my anger had taken the best of me and I'd cast that deep down. Apparently my fairy powers also helped in isolating myself from any outside influence. But now I felt it very clearly. I whined in pain and dropped to the ground, my knees in the grass, trying to make it stop. Eric growled out of pain, but also because he didn't like me suffering.

'Un-silver me! You're hurting her!' He growled, trashing at the two weres that were holding him back. How I knew they were weres, I couldn't tell, because for now, all I felt was the white-hot pain searing my neck, my arms and my torso, everywhere where the silver touched Eric.

'Hurting her?' Hallow mused, cocking a questioning eyebrow. 'Ah right, the curse. I guess she'll have to endure it, my dear. I don't want to risk losing you once more.' She said, caressing Eric's cheek as he panted in pain. I hissed in anger and tried to stand up but the pain was overwhelming and I slid back to my knees.

'Take them to the car.' Hallow ordered the weres and I was carried along with Eric into a big black van that was hidden in the woods. They dropped us in the back and were careful to leave a safe distance between me and him so that I couldn't un-silver him. I was in too much pain to even try that. I was going to faint if it didn't stop soon. The van started running and next thing I knew, I was in a damp room, locked in a cell. I looked at my surrounding and almost gasped in relief when I noticed Eric's slouched form in the cell next to mine. He was not tied or restrained anymore but I knew without even asking that the bars to our cells were coated in silver.

'Eric.' I whispered, my voice harsh.

'You alright?' He said, approaching the bars to look at me. I crawled to the bars and grasped his fingers through them.

'Yes, I'm alright now. How do you stand the pain?' I asked, referring to his silver chaining.

'We get used to it at some point. But still, it hurts like a bitch. I'm sorry you had to feel it…' He excused himself, caressing my cheek without touching the bars.

'What do we do now?' I asked him, nervous.

'We wait.' He whispered back, putting his back against the wall to rest. I did the same, the bars the only thing that kept us apart. He grasped my fingers through them once more.

_There are people watching us. You can't see them because it's too dark but I can. The room is also much bigger than a few cells. I think there's a door on your side on the far left. Whatever you do, don't say anything that might lead them to think people are coming for us. We must buy ourselves some time._

'Well duh…' I hissed at him. Sometimes vampires really did underestimate humans. He clenched my fingers once more and I listened to his thoughts carefully.

_Sorry… I know you're smart. Now when Pam and the gang arrive, I want you to stay as far away from trouble as you can. I'll have to fight the moment I'm free from this damn cell but you should just worry about getting your ass to safety. I'm not asking. I'm ordering._

I looked at him and frowned.

'You're thinking. Not the same.' I hissed once more. 'I'll do as I please, thank you very much. You're not the boss of me just because we are sort of together.' I continued, a sly smirk on my lips.

'You are insufferable, woman. Can't you just obey?' He growled at me. I could feel through the bond that he was worried for me but I also felt lust. Damn it, did the man only have thoughts for that?

I was still thinking about my answer when lights were turned on in the room and I covered my eyes to protect them. My sight adjusted to the crude lighting and I looked at the surrounding. Our two cells were quite small compared to the rest of the room where obviously, rituals were held. The entire place looked bathed in a greenish goo an it was damp and smelly. There was a dark pentagram painted on the ground and a bunch of stuff was set on a table. A few chairs and empty boxes completed the furniture of the sparse room. And there were people, lots of them. Most of the witches I had seen in the clearing were now pouring in the room, along with Hallow who had a knife in her hand. Not a cute little pocket knife, oh no. More like a butcher let's-chop-some-tough-cow kind of knife. I swallowed loudly.

'Let's have a taste of the big boy.' Hallow said, approaching Eric's cage. He tensed up and I looked at him, fearful.

'Give me trouble, Northman, and I'll make you watch whilst I pick your little girlfriend's bones clean.' Hallow said, an evil smirk on her lips. 'Will you obey or should I call my wolves on her?' Hallow asked Eric, rattling her knife on the bars of his cage.

'I'll obey. But touch a single hair on her head and I swear there'll be no stopping me when I rip all of your throats out.' Eric menaced her, standing up to approach the door of the cage. She opened it with gloved hands (silver and werewolves…)and stepped aside, allowing him to walk out. He looked over his shoulder at me, silently ordering me to relax and keep quiet. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Hallow push him to his knees roughly. She was a strong bitch.

'Take your shirt off.' She ordered him, smirking. Eric glared at her and complied. The man didn't exactly have an issue with nudity so he just shrugged and pulled his dark tank off and threw it on the ground next to him. I could feel his anger and frustration at having to comply with her wishes. He who was usually in control now had to obey. Most female witches in the room actually had the nerve to giggle. And I mean every single one from the youngest one (who looked no more than fifteen) to the oldest crumpling one. Yes, my Viking was quite the sight shirtless.

Hallow bit her bottom lip thoughtfully and gestured for her minions to walk out. She wanted to be alone with her prisoner. Obviously the woman didn't give a damn if I watched as she got her way with Eric.

'You are a very handsome man.' Hallow said, running her blade on his bare skin, pressing lightly so as to not cut just yet. Eric growled and looked at her defiantly.

'I'm not a man, Witch. Haven't been for a thousand fucking years' He growled.

'True enough.' She said. She grabbed his chin roughly and turned his head to the side. 'You're smart to obey. I know for a fact you value that little human quite a lot. Though why, I can't tell. She's not that pretty. Or special in any way.'

'Like you would know.' I snapped at her. Eric glared at me, warningly. He didn't want her finding out what I was capable of just yet.

'What a spirited little girl you've got, Northman. Why do you fancy her so?' Hallow asked, her blade under his chin, lifting his head to meet his gaze.

'Why do you care? Just cut to the chase and bleed me if that's your wish.' He growled at her.

'I won't spare all of you just yet…'Hallow whispered, slicing the skin at his collarbone to draw some blood. Eric tensed but didn't give her the satisfaction of expressing his pain. But I sure as hell expressed mine. I yelped and clutched my collarbone, tears rolling on my cheeks. Eric turned and looked at me, worried. Hallow lifted her gaze and frowned at me.

'Won't she just shut up already?' Hallow sneered at Eric. I listened to her thoughts briefly.

_I wish I could just kill that ugly little human and have him. He deserves something bigger than that…_

'You fucking bitch! He wouldn't have you even if you were the last person on earth!' I choked.

'What did you just say?' Hallow snapped, staring at me. _What the fuck is she saying? Did I think out loud?_

'No you didn't, you cow. Non-special me can read minds, you dumb bitch! You didn't do your homework properly now did you?' I sneered at her, my breathing uneven from the pain.

Before I could do anything, she unlocked my cell and barged into it. She roughly pulled me to my feet by my shirt collar which caused me to wince in pain. The woman had a really bad temper…

'Now you tell me what the hell you are I'll make sure your dying Vampire is the last thing you'll see in this life.' Suddenly, she was off me and pressed against the wall of the cell, her face burning at the contact of the bars. Eric stood between me and her, holding her in place with one hand.

'I told you not to touch her.' He growled at the witch who cried in pain, swearing and desperately trying to protect her face from the bars.

'You'll be punished for this, Viking.' She hissed. He finally let her go and she crumpled disgracefully to the ground whilst he pulled me to my feet and out of the cell. I closed the door behind me so she wouldn't follow. I hoped she wouldn't be able to bolt the cell open with her spell and wished dearly for none of her minions to have heard the commotion. Apparently luck was on our side because no one barged in the room just yet.

'So much for not doing anything stupid…' I grunted at him. 'We're outnumbered and now she's mighty pissed.' I snarled at him, the pain growing dimmer and dimmer by every passing second.

Eric threw me a look that would have frozen hell over and I backed off.

'Alright, alright. Thank you.' I muttered to him before looking for something, anything that I'd be able to use as a weapon. I spotted Hallow's butcher knife and picked it up, weighing it. I saw that the wound on Eric's collarbone wasn't fully healed. He looked at me and embraced me.

'Drink.' He simply whispered to me. And I obeyed. I knew it would make me strong and I'd need it when the fight would erupt. I took one or two mouthfuls and Eric grunted. Ah yes, vampires got their kick out of it. I stepped away from him, surprised that Hallow hadn't started yelling or calling for her minions just yet. Suddenly, I let my shields down to listen in on her thoughts. She was simply sitting in the cell, her face heavily scarred by the bars and she was looking at us smugly.

_Brother, come. It is time._

'What the fuck…' I started to say. The woman could brain-talk with her brother? Like I'd once done with Barny the Bellboy? Eric lunged for me and pulled me on his back before I could say anything. The room filled with smoke and I coughed, holding on Eric's back for dear life. All I had time to see was Hallow's face contort with rage.

'What's happening?' I asked him as he slowly backed off towards the cells.

'Pam.' He simply replied. My eyes went wide as saucers and then chaos broke out in the room and I heard yelling and screaming and the next thing I knew, Eric threw me off his back and into his now empty cell. He seared his hand trying to lock the door and simply gave up, turning all his energy and attention to the fight. There were people everywhere and to try and keep up, I would have needed to actually see what was happening, but the smoke was heavy and covered everything with a white blurry blanket. It smelt slightly like fog and I assumed it was though it didn't make any sense for it to be in a warehouse. I tried to find the door to my cell but all I managed to do was bump my nose in one of the bars. I yelped in pain and suddenly I saw it, a dark, big wolf. He was standing outside of the bars and looking at me intently with soft, golden eyes. I knew those eyes. Alcide. I smiled at him and he growled in what I hoped was recognition. He sniffed me and then turned back to the fight.

I saw a flash of golden hair emerge from the mass and then felt a searing pain to my arm. I groaned and realised it must have been Eric who'd been injured because I was perfectly fine. I tried to remember where I'd entered the cell and where was Hallow's. If I was correct, she was to my far left. I headed that way to make sure she still was locked in her cell but of course, someone had gotten at her and I saw through the fog that her door was hanging ajar. The door to my cell was still tightly shut if not locked. I didn't really feel like going out there and getting ripped to shreds by an angry bunch of werewolves, vampires and witches. Had I not been this deep in the supernatural world, I would have laughed at how Halloween-party this all sounded. Apart from the dying people and the yells and the litres of blood that surely splattered the foggy room. I felt a pang to my chest and then to my arm. Eric again. And then I heard him.

_Careful! Sookie get the fuck out of there! NOW!_

I lunged for the door but it was already too late. Right in front of my cell stood Hallow. Her eyes were a shining silver and the skin on her face was seared and patchy. And she somehow hovered above the ground. And hell did she look mighty pissed. I swallowed hard and lifted my butcher knife, ready to fight.

'Hello, little one.' She said, her voice sending chills down my spine. 'Missed me?'

_Oh fuck_, I thought.


	24. Mad As A Hatter

**Hello my friends! I'm sorry I haven't updated earlier. I know, I suck, I'm mean lol i'm also busy with school but I promise to make it up to you all :)! But here is a new chapter :) ENJOY**

**Songs to listen to for fun:**

**Mad House- Rihanna (yes, it's that crazy in the warehouse :P)**

**Stronger (Cover)- 30 Seconds to Mars**

**Hold Up Your Hand - Crookers Feat Roisin Murphy**

**Bad Romance (Cover) - 30 Seconds to Mars (Jared Leto has such a sexy voice hahaha :))**

**Hope you like them. I love you all and thank you for the amazing feedback I'm getting for this story. Do not fear, this is not the end even though I picture this as my ending of season 4 :) I'll most probably not follow the plot of the 5th novel cause I found it utterly boring and very Eric-Less. Way too Eric-less to my Viking-craving taste.**

**LOVE YOU ALL! PLEASE REVIEW! xoxoxo**

Hallow glared at me and before I knew it, she casted some sort of spell on me, sending me to the ground in a disgraceful lump. I winced in pain. I was mighty pissed at her and I concentrated real hard on energy oozing out of my hand but to no avail. I simply didn't know how to trigger it. I tried and tried and tried and suddenly, Eric spoke to me in my mind. I couldn't see where he was because of the fog but I knew very well he was close by. I could feel his anger through the bond.

_She's going to hurt your loved ones, one after the other. _

I roared in anger and a bolt of energy shot out of my hand and missed Hallow by an inch. She snarled and laughed at the same time.

'The little girl is getting pissed! So there is more to you than just the pretty face.' She said, her eyes still glowing a very disturbing silver. She chanted words softly and I felt goose bumps on my skin. I didn't like her chanting like this one bit. I growled menacingly, trying to lift myself up but she had somehow paralysed me and all I could do was will her to be within my hand's reach. I concentrated really hard and energy flowed through my veins and all the way to my fingertips. I aimed my hand at her and just as I'd hoped, she was sucked by the energy towards me. This was very, very fucking bizarre but heck, this was a life or death situation. I'd take time later to think about it all. I grabbed her by the neck and finally was able to lift myself up since she wasn't chanting anymore. She looked at me, her eyes wide in wonder, just like Lorena's had been after she'd tasted me.

'What are you?' She whispered, her arms flailing uselessly on her sides. My grip was strong from the vampire blood I'd ingested and I felt as if I could lift a freaking mountain. I felt a jab at my arm and then a vivid pain in my chest and through the fog I made out to fighting figures. Eric and Hallow's brother were engaged in a very brutal combat and I realised the pain was from Eric. I glared at Hallow and answered her question, venom dripping from my every word.

'I'm the bitch who's going to take you down!' I replied, shoving her against the silver bars. She yelped in pain and clawed at my face, trying to get me to loosen my grip on her neck. She got my cheek and I whimpered, letting her go momentarily. And then she morphed, her clothes ripping to shreds. She was a mighty big wolf. She howled as I tried to move away from her in the fog and I heard crackling noises all around the room. Eric roared and I heard some ripping sounds as if limbs were being pulled off some bodies. I cringed at the idea and tried to find the bloody door to the cell to escaped the disgusting fate that awaited me if Hallow decided to pounce. She could rip me to tiny little pieces in the blink of an eye with all the Vampire blood she'd ingested.

I heard a growl and I finally found the door. She pounced as I was trying to slide out of the cage and got my arm. I cried in pain and tried to shake her off but her teeth were set deep into my skin. I tried to crawl away from her but she wouldn't let me go. She managed to get out of the cage and I followed as she was almost dragging me.

'Eric!' I yelled. In the blink of an eye another wolf jumped at Hallow's throat and started clawing and biting her. She had to let me go to defend herself and I almost cried in relief when I recognized her attacker. It was Alcide. And he was mighty pissed. I crawled far away from them, deciding he was big enough to take care of her for now. I heard a yelp and the next second, Hallow was morphing back to her human form, not caring the least bit that she was very naked. She stood up next to me and dragged me by my hair to the middle of the room. I cried in pain and held myself on her arm to lessen the tension on my scalp. The fog was dissipating and I moaned in pain as she finally yanked me to the center of the pentagram.

'NORTHMAN!' She roared, her voice echoing off the walls in the middle of the chaos around us. 'HALT YOUR FRIENDS OR I'LL KILL YOU'RE HUMAN!' She hissed.

I heard a growl at the other end of the room and then another but closer this time. Eric appeared next to us in the blink of an eye and took in the sight of my hunched over figure. My arm was bleeding heavily and I felt weak and powerless. I closed my eyes and listened carefully to what was happening around us. The fog suddenly grew thinner and I finally opened my eyes to see the massacre around us. All of the vampires on our side were stills standing. A few naked bodies laid bloodied, dead or wounded on the ground. Alcide was in the far corner, near the cages, his shoulder obviously badly wounded but he was still in his wolf form. Hallow's brother was nowhere to be seen and then I understood why. Turning my head in the opposite direction, I saw Pam and Chow who were each holding one of the bony man's arms. His face was bloodied and his throat bled heavily. Hallow snarled at the sight and grabbed my hair roughly, producing from god knows where an enormous knife. She was about to stab me with it or slice my throat but Eric grabbed her and broke her arm. She yelped in pain and tried to start chanting something, but he hit her so hard across the face that I hear he jaw crack. She wouldn't be saying much for a while, I thought. I was sore and didn't understand what was really happening around me. Two humans came forward and roped Hallow with silver in the blink of an eye. I was surprised to recognize Holly amongst them. She took the opportunity to slap Hallow hard across the face.

'That's what happens when you do not respect Mother Nature.' Holly snapped. 'She bites you in the ass…' She said, a small grin on her lips. Hallow spat some blood on the ground and was soon taken away by two vampires.

'We need her alive.' Pam said before unceremoniously ripping the arm she was holding in her hand out of its socket. I thought I was going to gag and I curled on the ground. There was simply way to much blood. I could hear the buzz of thoughts all around the room. The Shreveport Witches were defeated and most were dead, but a few were still alive, crying in pain. Some of the vampires from our side were drinking from some witches who were obviously not going to make it and I felt tears roll slowly down my cheeks. A few seconds had passed only since Hallow's brother had been ripped to shreds and Eric was busy shouting orders, as the Viking he really was. There was no such time where he looked more himself than in the midst of a battle. He was a warrior and the thrill of war and violence sent me very vivid and crude images of us together through the bond. I also felt his angst for me. He knew I was injured. He headed towards me and kneeled down, cupping my head on his knees.

'Drink.' He whispered, offering my his bleeding wrist as he took mine to his lips, cleaning it of the blood that oozed from it. I drank deeply, feeling better the moment his sweet flavour hit my palate. I felt immediately stronger and the excruciating pain at my wrist grew dimmer and dimmer and receded to a dull ache. I was covered in bruises and tiny cuts from my encounter with Hallow but now everything was over and I was safe again, cradled in Eric's arms.

'Will you be okay, love?' Eric asked me worried. I suddenly felt a presence next to me and gasped in surprise when I recognized the person standing there. Vampire I should say. It was Bill and he was covered in blood. Not his, I gathered since he looked quite healthy. He kneeled next to me and passed a careful hand on my forehead and in my hair. I shuddered under his touch and looked at Eric's impassive face before looking back at Bill.

'Bill what are you doing here?' I whispered.

'I came to help when I heard there was trouble.' Was all I got from him. Behind him was Jessica and she looked very excited. It was the first time since the werewolf attack at my home she'd had a chance to fight and she was mighty proud of herself. I smiled softly. She waved at me and then went to help the others out.

'What was with all the fog?' I asked Eric and Bill. I felt like a piece of steak in-between two hungry dogs and realised that it must have been how it felt for them. Through both the bonds I could feel that both desired me in a very Neanderthal manner and I almost blushed, trying to pull myself up.

'Bon Temps Wiccans. Some sort of weather altering magic.' Eric explained, his fangs poking out of his lips. He glared at Bill's hand that was still in my hair.

'Compton, remove your hand. She's not yours anymore.' Eric warned, his voice very menacing. I tried to lift myself up since my head was still on Eric's knees to look at them both.

'_She_'ll tell me if _she_ wants me to remove my hand, Northman.' Bill replied, his voice icy.

'You trying to pick up a fight, Compton? I would just love to see that.' Eric replied, growling.

'Will you just snap out of it?' I scolded at them both. 'You're acting like kids here! Eric just help me up please? And Bill, thank you for helping us but I think you can let go of my hair now. It won't be going anywhere in the near future.' I joked, a small grin on my lips. Eric pulled me up with him gently kissing my forehead before he stepped away to go back to helping the vampires dispose of the bodies. He then decided better and swung back towards me, drawing me into a very fiery and sexy kiss. His mouth plundered mine without any sort of restraint and I had to grab his hair to hold him back from just choking me right there and then. My stomach fluttered with butterflies and I moaned softly as he released me from his embrace. He then winked at Bill and stormed away. I'd have to kick his ass later for this ridiculous demonstration of his ownership… Even if I had enjoyed the kiss immensely.

Bill looked at me intently and sighed.

'What has he done to you?' He simply said, cocking his head to the side, pain painted on his features.

'I don't think it's any of your business.' I replied, defensive. I caressed his cheek where a drop of blood lazily rolled down towards his jaw and I looked at him intensely.

'Bill, thank you for helping me today. For being here. It means a lot to me.' I said, smiling softly. 'But what I choose to do is none of your business. We broke up.' I reminded him. I still felt that numb pain in the middle of my chest whenever I thought about it. I hugged him carefully and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

Bill looked at me and held me close to him for a while before he walked away. I was left alone in the middle of the room and turned back to where Alcide laid injured. He was on his side, panting heavily and I ran to him.

'Are you going to be okay?' I asked him. He had morphed back to his human form and he was very naked. I grabbed a discarded sweater off the bloodied floor and dropped it on his hips to cover him a bit.

'Yes, thank you.' He panted. 'I'll heal but that bitch was strong. Might take a little while.' He added, his voice a low gruff. His shoulder bled heavily and I was about to call for Eric or Bill to give him some blood but he must have understood my intention and grabbed my hand.

'Don't. Please. I'll be alright. I don't want any of that vamp juice.' He said. I giggled softly and brushed his messy hair out of his face.

'Thank you for saving me.' I said to him. I decided he couldn't very well stay there, lying on the ground so I stood up in search of some clothes for him to dress in. He couldn't very well be carried in his birthday suit to his truck. I saw Eric across the room, talking to Pam. I went to them and thanked Pam for helping us before I explained the situation to Eric. He said a few words to Pam in Swedish and next thing I knew, Alcide was being taken home to rest and heal, dressed in a pair of jeans and covered in a warm blanket. I pressed his hand in mine when the two werewolves carrying me passed me by and he smiled at me. I then turned to Eric.

'Are we done here?' I asked, hopeful. I was tired as hell and needed a shower. I was covered in about half a dozen people's blood and sweaty and cold at the same time. Eric looked me over and dragged me to him, planting a kiss on the top of my head. He called Pam over.

'Get her to lift the curse and then kill her.' He simply muttered at Pam. She smiled widely and I saw her fangs drawn out.

'How shall I convince her?' Pam asked, to be sure she'd get to play with her toy. Eric frowned at her as if he found it silly she'd even ask.

'Be persuasive.' He simply replied. He then picked me up bridal style and carried me outside. By some sort of magic, his car was there, probably retrieved from my place by one of the vamps. He sat me on the passenger side and then slid in the driver's seat, dropping his coat on my knees as the engine purred to life. We rolled away from the sinister area and as we rounded the corner, I noticed that flames shot out the windows of the warehouse.

'Burning the evidence.' Eric simply told me, looking at me, his hands surely on the wheel.

'Thank you for saving me.' I said to him, clutching his discarded coat around my shoulders. He looked back at the road and I noticed we were heading for his place.

'We'll stay at my home for the time being. Who knows if they might not come back after us…' Eric answered.

'What do you mean?' I asked, puzzled.

'A few of the witches escaped before it got messy. But I don't think they'll give us any trouble. They're nothing without their chief.' He responded.

'What will Pam do to Hallow, you think?' I asked, nervous.

'She'll get her to un-curse us. As to how, I really don't care.' He replied. Pressed my cheek against the cool window and rested. I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, I was in Eric's bathroom, and he was holding me against him whilst he rid me of my bloodied clothes. We took a warm shower and he gently cleaned me, massaging my scalp and skin until I felt like pudding and then he dried me and took me to his bedroom where he dressed me in a little nightie made of a gauzy pink material. I delighted at the sight of it and he grinned, pulling on some silk pyjama pants before wrapping me in his arms in the sheets. I yawned softly and then turned to him, a lump forming in my throat at the sight of his beautiful face.

'What will happen to us now?' I asked him, my finger drawing a tentative pattern on his chiselled chest. His hair was messy and wet like mine and I watched in fascination as a drop of water oozed off a strand and slid down his temple and towards his jaw. I closed my mouth on his jaw, sucking softly at the skin, drawing a moan from him.

'We'll have to deal with the Queen. And then I'll keep you here all to myself and never share you with anyone else.' Eric replied, rolling us over so that he was over me. His mouth found mine and he nibbled softly at my bottom lip, his gaze lustful and never leaving mine. I writhed under him and purred in contentment when his length pressed on my thigh through the silky material of his pyjama pants. His hands slid under the little nightie to caress the smooth skin of my stomach.

'You are perfect.' He whispered to me before rolling off me to cradle me to his chest, spooning me. 'It's late, you should get some sleep. We can play all you like tomorrow but for now you must rest.' He whispered, his lips biting my earlobe softly before kissing the corner of my lips.

'Night.' I mumbled before pulling his arm around my waist. I held his palm to my lips and kissed it softly.

I awoke hours later and he was still with me but he was out for the day. I had no idea what time of day it currently was and decided that I was mighty hungry. I started by going to the master bathroom where I cleaned up before I went to look for some clothes. I picked a set of white lacy underwear and pulled on a dress that had mysteriously been added to Eric's vast collection of men's clothes. It was my size and a vivid cherry red and I loved it. I ate something and realised I'd slept almost all day. It was now close to four in the afternoon and the sun was low on the horizon, I noticed, when I looked out the black windows. I heard Eric before I saw him. He walked out of his bedroom, very puzzled.

'Sookie?' He asked, astonished. He took in the sight of me sprawled on his sofa and looked amused and quizzical at the same time. He rubbed his temples and looked again. What was wrong with him?

'What are you doing in my home? Not that I mind you being here, you are quite the sight in that dress, by the way. But why are you here in the first place?' He asked me.

I stared at him blankly. He didn't remember. I suddenly understood that maybe the curse had been lifted, or another one had been casted on him by a wrathful Hallow.

'You don't remember?' I asked him, feeling tears welling in my eyes. He sat down across from me and eyed me curiously.

'Is this a dream?' he asked. 'Because it's a very bizarre one if it is. You're never dressed in my dreams.' He added, grinning slightly. I would have blushed had I not felt so powerless. He had no idea what I was doing here. Surely he didn't even remember what had happened in the last few days. I excused myself a second and as he stared into space, puzzled, I rapidly called Pam.

'Pam!' I yelped when she picked up. 'What happened with Hallow?' I asked her.

'She lifted the curse. Now she's dead. Why?' Pam asked. I hung up on her and the phone slipped out of my hand. I panted, trying to catch my breath. Eric was behind me in a second, holding me up.

'Sookie, Sookie, what is wrong? What happened?' He asked, worried. He really had no clue at all.

'You don't remember anything that happened in the last few days?' I asked him, a fat tear rolling down my cheek.

'I went to meet up with the witches yesterday.' He simply supplied, eyeing me suspiciously. 'And I have no idea why you're here.' He added.

And then I felt relief wash over me. A nasty kind of relief because it also killed me to choose the easy way out. I wouldn't have to let him choose whether or not he wanted to be with me because he simply did not remember we ever having been together. He didn't remember a thing and he didn't need to. What had us been anyways apart from a couple of steamy nights?

'Did we have sex?' he asked, suddenly very curious. My hand on his arm tensed at his words.

_Why the fuck can't I remember it? Why is she here? Where's Pam? Why is she crying? I hate it when she cries…makes me feel useless_

I could still hear him, faintly, but I could hear him.

'Did we sleep together, Sookie? I can smell myself all over you.' He added, breathing in my hair softly.

'Just take me home please.' I whispered, pulling myself out of his arms.

'Not until you tell me what happened and why you're like this. And here in the first place.' He ordered me, frowning. It was apparently killing him not to be in control.

'What is there to say? Yes we had sex. Too bad you just can't remember it.' I said, my voice shaking. I wanted to snake my arms around his neck to kiss him, in the hopes that maybe our kiss would make him remember. But I knew this was just wishful thinking, tainted by hundreds of fairytales in which a kiss could make it all better.

'Why can't I remember it?' He asked, his eyes boring into mine.

'You were cursed by the witches. Pam will explain. Please just take me home.' I whispered, tears rolling freely down my cheeks. I felt stupid and utterly powerless right now.

'Sookie did something happen? Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?' He asked me, anger flaring through the bond as he spoke the last words.

'No. I'm alright. Please, just take me home.' I begged, my voice soft and low. He cupped my chin and before I knew it, he pressed his lips to mine, parting them, teasing my tongue with his. I moaned against his mouth and his hands snaked around my waist and in my hair. He pulled me up, sitting me on his kitchen counter and parted my thighs so he could pull me closer. He rubbed himself against me, causing some very delicious friction between us and I moaned. I tried to stop him, pushing him back softly and he tensed, looking at me, thoughtful.

'Why did I never do this before?' He asked, his mouth hovering on my lips, his gaze on mine. He brushed my cheek free of the tears and his mouth found mine again for a brief few seconds before he pulled away.

'You did much more.' I whispered, looking down at my thighs possessively wrapped around his hips.

He growled, frustrated. He roughly took my hair in his fist and pulled be back for another kiss.

_What the fuck is happening? Why can't I remember anything of us being together? Why is it so good to kiss her? Get a grip, damn it…_

He finally let me go and looked at me as if he really saw me for the first time.

'I'll take you home. I need to settle some things with Pam.' He explained before helping me off the counter. 'But we'll see each other soon, Sookie. And you'll tell me what happened between us.' He grunted. He took me home and I stared at the road, lost in my thoughts the whole way.

My hand brushed Eric's hand when I shifted in my seat. I felt as though I'd been hit by lightning and I resisted the urge to entwine my fingers with his. When we arrived at my place, I slid out of the car without one more word and almost ran to my door. I thought he called after me but I was too caught up in trying not to burst into tears in front of him to turn back. I closed the door and slid down behind it, cuddling my knees to my chest. Somehow, this felt a lot worse than Bill and I breaking up. And I had imagined nothing could ever hurt me as much as that had hurt. I now understood why I'd always felt like I needed to protect myself from letting Eric Northman in. He was overwhelming and I was going to feel this empty for a long, long time. I managed to crawl to my sofa and grab the afghan lying there and I curled in a little ball in it before crying myself to sleep.

**Please don't throw stones here, I know you all will hate me for this but it's a curse... not a blessing. And Hallow is a bitch. I promise to make it up to you in further chapies! XOXOXOXO LOTS OF LOVE :)**


	25. Dance, Dance, Dance 'Til You're Dead

**FIRST OF ALL, MEA CULPA, IM A BAD UPDATER... I'm sorry I left you hanging there with the handkerchiefs and all. I know, I'm bad, bad bad. I'll make it up to you :) promise!**

**So here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it!**

**I thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for the amazing review this story is getting (I swear I had no idea I could bring it this far lolll but thanks to you all, I managed to do it!)**

**Reviews are always welcomed and I really hope you forgive me for leaving Eric memory-less in the previous chapter. Just had to happen :D**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxo Love you all!**

*****Songs to listen too:**

**Heads Will Roll- Yeah Yeah Yeahs (title comes from this amazing song! One of my all time favourites! Check out the A-Trak Remix which is a blast!)**

**You Did (Bomp Shooby Doody Bom) - Chuck Prophet (TB SOundtrack love it)**

**Dirge - Death In Vegas (the vibe, my friends, the vibe!)**

**Secret Smile - Semisonic (sweeeeett!)**

**TA-DA! ENJOY!**

A week passed by, time excruciatingly slow. I worked double shifts almost everyday to make up for my lack of work whilst I'd been baby-sitting my Viking. Irony of life, I missed him being around all the time. And stupidly enough, I took his lack of calls, texts or such as an invitation to sulk on my side. By now, I expected Pam had filled him in on what had happened during those few days he'd been under Hallow's spell and stuck with me.

Of course, some parts Pam couldn't fill him in, but I couldn't muster the courage to do it myself just yet. I felt empty inside, like those chocolates I received as a child for Easter- the ones you gleefully expect to be full but weight them and know better. I was missing something and knew just too well what that thing was. Sam didn't bother with asking me what exactly was wrong with me because I did the job and he was a bit too caught up with fighting with Tommy to give me any more attention than I deserved. The only person at work who in fact still cared to ask me how I was doing, was Holly. I was glad she had come out of this safe and sound as well as Arlene and her kids. Arlene hadn't spoken a word to me since the witches had brought her back her kids. I couldn't exactly blame her for telling on me and Eric, but I didn't feel it fair for her to blame me for her kids being kidnapped in the first place.

Tara hadn't showed up at Merlotte's much and I selfishly enough did not have the energy to go to her place to ask why. I did give her a few calls to inquire about her – she had lost her boyfriend in a terrible manner after all – but to no avail. Either her cell phone went straight to voice mail (and she didn't bother with actually calling me back) or her phone was just off. I decided I'd let her come to me when she needed to.

In an entire week, I heard nothing about the Supes' world and I was starting to worry. How long would it be until the news reached New Orleans that Eric wasn't under the curse anymore and that I was to say it mildly ripe for the picking if Sophie-Anne so decided to? I knew for a fact that Bill had returned from Peru to his family house right across the cemetery, obviously back in the good graces of McAlister since he'd probably delivered the notorious database. I had caught him passing by my place a few times when I checked the surroundings at night. I didn't mind him being there and even felt safer for it. He had broken my heart but he was still watching out for me. I had no doubts he'd been told about the arrangement the Queen and Eric had, either by Pam or by the Queen herself. For some obscure reason, I knew he would defend me if the Queen decided to pounce.

When I got home from work on the seventh night since I'd barged out of Eric's Corvette, I felt a presence and hurried inside. I had no idea who was lurking in the woods but decided best not to actually go check it out. A faint tap on my front door made me jump out of my skin. I checked through the window and was relieved to see Pam perched on my porch in her six-inch heels. I opened the door and invited her in, surprised by her presence.

'What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Eric?' I asked, suddenly very worried.

'Of course something is wrong with Eric!' She growled. 'He lost his memory of whatever happened between the two of you and _you _won't tell him about it!' Pam continued, tapping her foot furiously on my carpet. I sighed and offered her a seat in my living room. She sat down and gracefully crossed her legs before continuing.

'Sookie, you have to tell him. Everything. He's going nuts!' She commented - clearly pissed.

'Hasn't he always been a bit?' I offered, scolding myself for being sarcastic at the worst of times.

'Sookie, he's fired all the staff at Fangtasia this week. Twice.' She replied, her arms crossed over her chest in obvious annoyance.

'Twice?' I asked, curious.

'I had to rehire the whole lot the moment he fired them because there wasn't any time for replacement. But tonight he did it again. He even decided we'd close for the evening because he wasn't in the mood to entertain the masses.' She continued. I realised how bad Eric must have felt because there was nothing he loved more than to feed his ego on his throne.

'Damn it, Pam, what am I supposed to do?' I asked, exasperated.

'Tell. Him. The. Truth.' Pam replied, separating the words as if to give them more meaning.

I put my face in my hands and whined.

'I don't know Pam, I don't like him to feel terrible like that but how am I supposed to tell him everything?' I muttered, looking at her expectantly.

'Sookie, between us girls, we both know he'd mad about you. And you about him. Just get over yourself and tell him already!' Pam replied.

'He's not mad about me! It's my blood!' I replied. He couldn't be. He just couldn't be. 'For all the time you've known him I can't believe you don't see that the only reason he's going nuts right now is that he doesn't control everything! The man is a power freak, Pam. You of all people must know that!' I snapped, stubborn.

'And you are one stubborn breather!' She hissed. (Dead on, Pam, dead on – pun intended). 'He keeps asking me to tell him what happened between the two of you! As if I could tell him! He doesn't give a dang about the Queen and the witches! He wants to know about you! And I basically had to physically stop him from coming here every single night to force the words out of you!' She bellowed, exasperated.

I frowned at her and stood up, pacing the room nervously.

'Pam, as much as I'd like to help I simply don't know what to tell him. I mean how am I to tell him that we… that we…' I stumbled on my own words. Was I really having that kind of a discussion with a vampire? With _Pam_?

'Had sex with him. Many times. Yes, I could tell. You two were like college kids who just discovered the joys of the carnal acts.' Pam sneered. 'Sookie, you love him. Just tell him already.'

'I don't!' I replied, abashed. Pam didn't even bother with an answer. She raised a sceptical eyebrow and stared at me. I turned my face away, one hand on my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts. 'Alright maybe I do' I finally admitted, sitting back down on the couch.

'Then tell him!' Pam snapped.

'What if _he_ doesn't? What if he laughs at me? I've taken my fair share of ego wounding, but from him? That would be the pinnacle, Pam.'

'Have a little faith, isn't that what your monks say?' Pam sneered. I almost laughed at that.

'They're priests, Pam.'

'All the same! Boring old snores if you want my opinion…' Pam muttered gloomily. 'Now get your act together and come with me.' She said, pulling me off the couch.

'Not tonight! Geez, Pam, not tonight, please! Let me gather my thoughts or something.' I begged, trying to shake my wrists free of her grip. Did I ever mention how strong vampires are? What's the need for manacles when you have a pissed Martha Stewart version of a vamp trying to pull you out of your home to drag you someplace you really don't want to be…

'No time for that, Sookie. I won't spend another night with him whining and pacing and being a pain in the ass. A gigantic one at that.' Pam said, pulling me towards the front door.

'I'll come tomorrow! Please, just let me come tomorrow night. I look like a car's ran over me right now and I'm tired. Please?' I gave her my best puppy eyes and she stopped hauling me towards my front door.

'You promise?' Pam said, raising a warning finger right under my nose. She looked dead serious. People say the female is the most dangerous of the specie and right about now I could tell by her look she certainly was the most dangerous of all.

'I swear on pain of death I'll be there tomorrow night. And I'll tell him…' I finished, defeated. What point in arguing with her anyways? Pam seemed like one who always got her way, which was maybe why she'd endured Eric for so long.

'Fine. Be sure it will be painful and deadly if you don't show up tomorrow night.' She growled menacingly. 'And look pretty. Wear red, might tempt him to not rip the whole place to shreds if he's got something else to busy his hands. I'd hate to have to redo the pain in his fucking office. Again.' I decided not to inquire further about that because the only images that popped into my mind were that of a very feline Eric scratching the walls of his own office. Which might have made me giggle any other time but not now with Pam throwing daggers at me with her eyes.

'And you'll tell him everything. I've had enough of him asking me how many times you've had sex together. As if I cared! I'll see you tomorrow night, Sookie.' Pam drawled before sliding gracefully out my front door and out of sight.

The next day went by in a whoosh as I was only working one shift. I finished at dusk and headed home to change and get ready for my big meeting with Eric. I dreaded seeing him again a lot more than I'd thought I would. I took a long shower and picked that perfume he liked so much, dabbing a few drops behind my ears, between my breasts and at the hollow of my wrists. I applied my makeup carefully and opted for waterproof mascara – better safe than sorry. I pulled on a nice little dress I had that had three quarter sleeves since it was quite chilly outside with December approaching quickly. It was a bright cherry red and unlike many of my summer dresses, the skirt of it didn't flare out. It hug my curves more closely and I suddenly was glad I'd shed a few pounds from the stress of life threatening situations. I wore no jewellery as it always got in the way and picked a nice pair of heels. I left them off since I always had trouble driving with those on and grabbed my purse before I headed out the door.

The drive to Shreveport was pretty eventless except that I felt my insides churn with apprehension. When I finally pulled on the Fangtasia parking lot, I was a bundle of nerves. I thought for a second about running back in my car and rolling back to Bon Temps. But Pam's menaces resounded in my ears and I realised I'd been a total floozy to Eric by leaving him in the dark like that. Pam wasn't on duty at the door tonight but I still managed to slip in without waiting the long line because most employees knew me. I went straight for Eric's office, nodding at Pam on my way. He wouldn't be in the bar and I didn't need to even look to know that. I stopped in front of the closed door of his office and took a deep breath before I lifted my fist to knock.

'Go away, Pam!' His voice boomed through the door. He must have been quite pissed because he didn't feel me through the bond. Not the way I felt him anyways. I could tell with every fibre of my being that he was close by because my entire skin covered in goose bumps. I opened the door slowly and I slipped in, closing the door behind me. He lifted his head and stared at me, his eyes wide in disbelief.

'Sookie.' He simply muttered, sitting up straight, taking in the sight of me. He looked relieved.

_You must be dreaming, Northman. Why is she here? I thought she was pissed or mad at me… what the hell is she doing here? Why is she still _dressed_? Why does she even bother with clothes at all?_

I blushed at his thoughts and reminded myself that this was the only part I wished to keep secret. The cursed Eric had accepted my reading his mind because it worked for us in that predicament but I wasn't sure regular Eric would be glad to learn I could hear his thoughts once in a while.

'Eric.' I murmured, dropping my purse on a chair. I took a slow step towards his desk. He just sat there looking at me and me at him. As if we hadn't seen each other in years, when in fact, it'd only been a week. But it had felt like years. I bit my bottom lip nervously and breathed deeply. Where to start…

'Why are you here?' He finally asked, palms flat on his desk, unmoving. I could see his fingers tremble, a sight I was not going to forget. See, when you're around vampires for so long, you don't expect them to do something so human such as trembling or sniffling or such. But Eric's hands were trembling. From what I couldn't tell.

_Gentleman, gentleman, gentleman. Red dress. On her. Why do I want to jump on her so bad… However pretty that little dress is I'd rather see it thorn to shreds and her wearing nothing at all…_

I parted my lips to speak but no sound would come out.

'Why are you here?' he asked again, standing up slowly. In the blink of an eye he was in front of me, one of his strong hands cupping my chin softly to angle my face up. I thought I'd collapse just there. He was so… perfect. Goddamned perfect. Screw him and his perfection. That is exactly what I wanted to do right now but we really had some matters to settle first.

'I came because I… We need to talk.' I whispered, my breath shallow. His touch always had that effect on me and my being deprived of it for a week seemed to emphasize the effects.

'Will you tell me what happened between us?' he asked, hopeful. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes a few seconds, enjoying his caress on my cheek and down my neck and on my collarbone and –oh Lord- on my breast. I stopped his hand before it continued its descent and I moaned softly because of course the man had two hands and treacherous ones at that and the other one was very effectively cupping my behind.

'I can't talk… if you distract me.' I blurted out, pressing my forehead to his shirt. I inhaled deeply, enjoying in the scent of him. Perfect, like him. Somehow, I briefly wondered if during the past few weeks I hadn't died and been taken to my very own private hell in which he'd be my tormentor.

He let go of me briefly only to pull me down on the couch next to him. I'd never been that nervous before and regretted briefly not letting him go further earlier, just in case this was the last time we had some fun time. The thing I feared most in all this was that his infatuation with me had had to do with the curse. I knew he desired me physically, but I also knew it had been more when we'd been together. A lot more. On my part at least. Hopefully on his too.

We stayed in silence for a while and impatient Eric finally took unto himself to speak.

'I might be immortal, but I rather doubt you are since you seem very human. And very appetizing must I add. Will you just get to it?' he asked, his voice soft.

'I don't know where to start…' I replied, honest, looking at him from the corner of my eye. Had he scooted over or was I dreaming. Nope, he was closer. Our thighs were pressed together and if I couldn't feel the cool of his skin through his jeans, he sure as hell could feel the warmth of mine – I was practically radiating heat.

'The beginning is always a good place to start with.' Eric replied. I frowned at him and stuck out my tongue at him. Right, Eric was back.

'Eric it's not that easy for me… I mean I don't even know if you'll believe me!' I whispered, closing my eyes, just enjoying his presence.

'I trust you.' He replied, turning my face to his, dropping a kiss right below my jaw near my ear. I whined and tried to pull away.

'Maybe you can multitask real good but I still am just human. And by God, yes you can multitask.' I whimpered as his mouth descended on my neck towards my collarbone. The man was going to be the end of me. His lips stopped their ministrations and he pulled away.

'Sorry.' He whispered, a small grin on his lips. 'It's just I still can't believe you're actually here.' He said as a mean of excuses.

'I am. And I'm not going anywhere until I've told you everything.' I replied, clutching his hand. His thumb caressed the palm of my hand softly and he kept his gaze on our entwined fingers as I started to tell him what had happened, Sookie-version.

He did not interrupt me once but I could feel his hand tense at some parts of the story. Through the bond I got a flow of different emotions so strong and varied it was hard to keep up with them. I told him everything the best I could. Apart from the sex which I mentioned but kind of skidded over because I was still too good a girl to turn myself into a sex-operator. I resumed it to the fact he was quite creative in the bed department. Which earned me a chuckle. When I finished speaking, I was almost out of breath for spilling it so fast. The only fact I didn't share with him was that I could hear his thoughts.

'Why is it that I wait so long to make love to you and when I finally get to, I don't remember it?' He growled softly. I turned to look at him and prepared for the last and most painful part of my account.

'There's something else, Eric.' I whispered. Oh god, how was I going to tell him that I loved him? How in heaven's sake was I going to tell him that.

'Yes, my love?' His voice was like velvet on my skin as his mouth gently sucked at the sensitive skin right behind my ear.

'I…I…'

'Yes?'

'I love you.' I dropped. I looked at him. He looked at me the exact same way he had after we'd kissed for the first time. He looked very human at that moment, very vulnerable. He didn't say a word for long minutes. It felt like hours and I was beginning to feel as if I might just go and he wouldn't notice, but suddenly, he was all over me. And I mean literally all over me. He was kissing me within an inch of my life and I was more than gladly responding. Our mouths danced on their own accord as if we'd been born for it. His hands were lost in my hair and I was glad I'd decided to wear it down. It felt as though he'd just decided I was his new favourite flavour of ice cream and he really wanted to eat the whole pot. My hands were roaming freely on his body, mapping him out. As if I could have forgotten just how perfect his anatomy was. Especially his butt which I gladly cupped, pressing him to me. I realised just then how I'd never felt such a chemistry in all of my (short) kissing history. It was as if our mouths were the matching pieces of a puzzle. He roughly pushed me down on the couch and he slid his hand under the hem of my dress, pushing it up until he reached my hip. He was growling and I was panting like crazy when his mouth finally let go of mine.

'You're perfect.' He purred in my ear, pulling down the neckline of my dress over my shoulder to bare some more skin there. He was biting my neck, not in vampire way. Actually, it felt more like he was doing his best at giving me the biggest hickey in history. And I didn't care one bit. This felt right. This felt bloody perfect. Actually no, he was still way too covered for my liking. I roughly pulled his tank out of his jeans and scratched his pecs, drawing blood, as I yanked it off him. He groaned menacingly and I was afraid I'd hurt him but…

'Do it again.' He didn't have to ask twice. He liked to play rough. And I liked it too as long as I got to play with him. I was so naughty I blushed at my own thoughts. His breath was sending jolts of pure desire down to my very core. I dug my nail down his back, drawing a hiss from his mouth as he tried to remove my dress.

'Don't rip it, I like it.' I moaned, as his mouth hovered over my breasts.

'I'll buy you another one.' He replied, splitting the collar of the dress to allow himself a quicker access to my bra. He was more than ready for more action as I noticed, sliding my fingers down his perfect abs and into the hem of his jeans, undoing his buckle on my way. I was glad as ever for his lack of underwear. _Why would he bother, anyways? _I thought. My Gran would have rolled in her grave had she heard my train of thoughts.

'Oh, god, Eric.' I whined as his hand ripped my panties as effectively as he'd ripped the top of my dress. Which by some sort of magic wasn't covering me anymore. Well not much anyways. My bras was totally exposed and Eric didn't even try to remove it, he just pushed it down, his hands wandering freely over my newly exposed breasts, causing my hips to arch towards his. I took a handful of his length and tried to shimmy down his jeans. He growled and nibbled my nipple.

'Had I known you'd be so compliant I'd have done this earlier.' He whispered, his hand creating very skilled friction down between my legs. He was testing the waters and was satisfied with my eagerness to get this going further. The problem at that moment was that the couch was a tiny bit tiny. For him anyways. In a swift move, he lifted me, tying my legs around his hips, stepping awkwardly towards the desk since his jeans were now at his ankles. I dug my nails in his butt-cheeks when he dropped me on the desk, clearing it with avid hands of literally everything (and yes, I do mean the computer too) in the blink of an eye. The noise was terrible but we couldn't have cared less. I took advantage of this to shimmy out of my bra which was just getting in the way. My panties were nowhere to be seen and I realised I didn't mind at all. All I cared about right now was having Eric make love to me until I couldn't walk.

His mouth found mine for a searing kiss as he placed himself at my entrance, thrusting in as he sucked my tongue into his eager mouth. I lost all coherence there and then and I just clawed desperately at him to get him closer to me. He chuckled softly, rolling my nipples between his skilled fingers, bringing his mouth down on me. His hips weren't moving just yet, allowing me to adapt to his size.

'Take me.' I begged him, thrusting my hips on his to show him exactly what I meant. He roughly grabbed my jaw and pulled my face towards his to look at me. His blue gaze burned into mine and I gasped.

'Tell me you're mine.' He ordered, thrusting in me excruciatingly slowly.

'I… Oh god, please just…'

'Tell me.' He growled, fangs popping in place. I lifted one of my hands and passed a tentative finger on them, pricking my index. A drop of blood oozed from there as his hips shoved once more, in and out, very, very slowly. He closed his lips around my bleeding finger and I thought I was going to implode right there as his tongue sucked at the tiny wound.

'I'm yours.' I finally breathed. And then he pushed himself in me all the way to the hilt and his rhythm became faster.

'I'm yours.' I repeated, my voice choked by a moan of absolute pleasure. His hands were on my hips, guiding me as his mouth drew very naughty patterns down my throat. Maybe I had a problem with multitasking, but that sure as hell wasn't a problem for him.

'And I'm yours.' He muttered, his hips meeting mine in a ferocious rhythm. I was sure as hell going to have bruises on my butt at the speed we were going but they were definitely worth it. Suddenly, he lifted me off the desk and just held me there, halfway in me, pulling me down slowly on him. I gasped, my eyes closing involuntarily.

'Look at me, love.' He whispered, his mouth finding mine so very easily. I batted my lashes, trying to focus on him as he increased the rhythm once more, holding me up by the strength of his arms. We must have been quite the sight, him bare to his ankles where his jeans laid in a puddle, with me attached to his front side my dress hanging limply at my waist, my arms on his shoulders, holding for dear life as he rode us to completion. I cried out when my orgasm hit me and he grunted something in his native language as he came mere seconds after me. We stayed there, him standing, me cradled in his arms, my thighs around his hips. He was still in me and by the feel of it, he was ready for a second round. I kissed him softly and stared at his beautiful face.

'I love you, Eric Northman.' I whispered, pressing my forehead to his.

_And I love you, Sookie Stackhouse._

**THE END**

**HAHA just kidding :) Got'Yaaaaaaaaaaa. No really there is just so much more to tell. And by the way I might not follow the plot of the fifth book which is very... dull. Instead I'll might take you on my crazy personal roller-coaster lol if you all wish me to continue of course :)**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo**


	26. In This Hell That Binds Your Hands

**Hello my darlings! OMG do not worry people, I'm not nearly finished with you all yet :P and i'm not finished with Eric Northman (is it possible to even tire of the man? I think NOT :)!) First thank you all very very very very very much for the incredible reviews for last chapter :) I REALLY appreciated it :P **

**For those of you wondering, no, Eric did not think AT Sookie. He still is under the belief she can't read vampire minds. And the reason Sookie won't tell him just now is that she fears he accepted that state only because he was stuck with her. (Yeah, Sookie and her infamous doubts :P) But he loves her YIPPY! And he's not exactly ready to tell her he loves her now is he :P don't we just love our sexy Viking! **

**So here goes, enjoy! Chapter title form the song Isaac by Madonna (I just love it! I think it was my favourite of her Confessions of a Dancefloor album :P)**

'So the Queen wants us to go down to New Orleans.' Eric whispered to me as we laid on his couch wrapped up in a big afghan he had produced from a drawer. He was drawing little patterns on my stomach, as I marvelled at the fact we were so close and how good it all felt.

'I'm afraid so…' I muttered, planting a small kiss on his lips. 'And there's the matter of Hadley.' I added, sighing. 'Could you please call Isabel and ask her if Hadley has joined them yet?'

'Anything you want, my love.' Eric hushed before sitting up, tucking me under the afghan to keep me warm. He grabbed his discarded jeans on the ground and pulled them on as I whined.

'Ah love!' He chuckled. I frowned.

'You shouldn't be allowed to ever wear clothes.' I muttered, playful.

'If you're willing to go bare I might think about it.' He said, winking at me. I giggled as he fished his cell phone out of the mess on the floor. Luckily for him, the phone hadn't been damaged like the computer. Which didn't look that good.

'Isabel, this is Eric. Yes, yes. No. What?' Eric said, alerting me. He listened for a while, grunting his approval every minute or so. I sat up, tucking the afghan under my arms. 'Alright. Thank you.' He clicked off and turned to me.

'She never made it there, Sookie. I'm sorry. Isabel's people found her car abandoned on the side of the road. There were no traces of a fight so they suspect it was one of us who took her…' Eric said, gloomily.

'The Queen.' I whispered. 'Do you think she would… kill her?' I asked, suddenly worried.

'No. Hadley is too valuable an asset if she wants to get to you…' Eric replied, sombrely. We were about to proceed with our conversation but there was a light knock at the door.

'What, Pam?' Eric said. The door opened a crack and Pam peeked in. I quickly wrapped myself in the blanket and blushed violently. She cocked an eyebrow at me and took in the sight of her jean clad maker with a smirk.

'I take it you two have made amends?' She snickered. She then saw the lack of objects on the desk and the over abundance of objects on the floor and ticked.

'Another computer, Eric? Really? Those things don't grow on trees!' she sneered. Eric looked at his feet, confused and saw his portable computer which now lay in two pieces (or more, I couldn't tell where the computer ended and the smashed telephone began…).

'Okay.' He simply shrugged. 'Get Ginger to come and clean this mess Pam.' He ordered her, a sly grin on his mouth. I whined and he turned to look at me. And then at the red piece of cloth that laid on the floor (the remains of my dress). The only thing of my clothing that had survived our mad encounter had been my bra and I could hardly go out wearing only that. He looked over his shoulder and chuckled. I stared at my ripped underwear that had latched on to the Fangtasia calendar Eric kept on his wall. I would have laughed had I not been so totally mortified that my underwear lay there for everyone to see. Eric snatched it and tucked it in his back pocket, winking at me.

'A little souvenir.' He whispered to me. I looked at Pam who was still standing there, waiting for him to let her speak. She looked quite amused by the whole situation, unlike me. I swore I surely was as red as my dress. Or what remained of it at least.

'What was it Pam?' Eric asked, sighing.

'Trouble, I think.' Pam replied. We looked at her curiously.

'Care to be more specific?'

'Let's just say the trash is in the place?' She replied, cocking a knowing eyebrow at Eric. Shit. She was talking about Bill, I could bet on it.

'Bill's here?' I snapped, clutching frantically at the blanket around my chest.

'Oh, you refer to him like that too?' Pam mused, a small grin on her perfectly painted lips.

'Cut it, Pam.' Eric snarled. 'What the fuck does he want?'

'Well, Eric, you kind of ordered him here…' Pam started. He rolled his eyes and nodded.

'Wait you can't let him in here… with me like this!' I yelped. Eric cocked an amused eyebrow at me.

'It's not like he hasn't seen it all before now is it…' He growled, not so amused at the idea Bill and I had had sex. Many times.

'Doesn't mean we have to rub it in his face that we… you know.' I whimpered, nervously. 'Let me dress at least!' I begged. Pam chuckled and walked out, returning with what looked like a red version of her leather getup. My eyes went wide like saucers at the sight.

'Couldn't you lend me something less…' I started to say. But she simply shoved the clothes in my hand and strolled out with Eric. He smirked slightly and blew me a kiss before closing the door. I pulled on the awful clothes. How she managed to wear underwear underneath that skin tight leather was beyond me but then it dawned on me she probably didn't even bother with it. Lucky me, the leather getup was brand new and surprisingly to my size. I growled. Pam had purchased that one just for me… The red corset made my boobs look as if they were going to spill out any second whilst the pants were way too tight fitted for my liking. Especially considering my lack of undergarments. I pulled the blanket back around my shoulders.

'I'm decent! Well anyways, _more_ than before.' I muttered. Great thing about vamps is you don't need to shout. They have very acute hearing. Pam and Eric strolled back in and for some obscure reason, Eric had a stupid grin on his face. A grin that disappeared when he noticed I was tucked safely in the afghan.

'Are you cold?' He asked, frowning slightly.

'I should probably be considering the lack of coverage those hideous leather things provide.' I sneered at Pam, 'But no, I'm not. I'm rather toasty actually. I just don't want to look like a tramp, thank you very much, no offense to you, Pam.' I added, crossing my arms on my chest.

'None taken, honey bunch.' Pam replied, cool as a cucumber. 'I wouldn't mind a peek at your tramp-_iness_ though.' She said, a feline grin on her face. Eric cleared his throat audibly.

'Yes?' Pam and I asked, turning our gaze to the very half dressed Viking.

'I wouldn't mind a peek either.' He replied, playful. And before I could say a thing more, he snatched the blanket away from me leaving me somewhat very… exposed. I yelped in surprise and tried to cover my chest as best as I could.

Eric's eyes turned to dangerous slits in an instant, taking in the sight of me. Pam simply smirked and cocked and appreciative eyebrow.

'Pretty.' She said, leaning back against the wall. Eric was on me in a second, eyeing me rather hungrily.

'Pam, the point of dressing her was to cover her. No gift wrap her.' Eric noted, a growl rippling through his chest. 'But I like gifts.' He pulled me up to my feet and twirled me around as if to showcase my assets. I groaned in frustration and tried to yank free from his grip. Useless of course…

'Would you please all get a grip and find me some very big sweater? The biggest the better? I feel naked in this!' I yapped, giving Eric my best puppy eyed look. He chuckled and pulled me close to him, one hand on my leather-clad butt, the other lost in my hair, looming down over me.

'Now, now, I rather like you like this. And sadly we don't have sweaters.' He added, smiling evilly. Oh yeah, _right_.

'A-hole.' I snapped at him, pulling out of his hold. He chuckled once more and gestured for Pam to allow Bill in. I tried to make myself very little in a corner but there isn't much you can do when you're dressed from tits to toes in very flashy flaming red leather. Bill almost toppled over at the sight and Pam snickered. Bill didn't say anything for a few long seconds, taking in the sight of the very empty desk, the mess on the floor and my leather getup attire. And my destroyed dress which I had forgotten to dispose of. I'd make a terrible murderer, I thought. I shoved it in a corner with my bare foot and stared pointedly at my feet. Oh, right. I already was a murderer….

'Soo…Sookie.' Bill tried, undecided as to whether he should enjoy the sight or be repulsed by it. I sighed.

'Bill. Sorry for the…attire. I…dropped a drink on my dress.' I tried, eyeing Eric meaningfully for him to back up my story. To no avail, alas. The room reeked of sex and Bill simply glared at Eric.

'What Sookie means is that she and Eric had wild, passionate sex on his desk and he tore her dress off her. And her panties.' Pam helpfully said, smiling like the cat that ate the cream. I blushed violently and grunted, trying to disappear through the floor. My fairy powers did not extend to that department, I noted, grimly.

Eric just smirked at Bill and even had the nerve to wink at the man. Bill looked about as emotional as a plank of wood and I swallowed nervously. He knew that me and Eric were… in a relationship, if I may put it like this, but he didn't need anyone to rub it in his face. Apparently, Pam wasn't on the same team as I on the matter.

'Jesus Christ, Pam!' I snapped, really annoyed. She put on a mask of pure innocence (yeah, my ass) and sat down on the couch. Eric was simply smirking like an idiot, no doubt thinking back at all the things we'd done there.

'So, Compton, what did you come here for?' Eric asked, forgetting that only Pam and I were aware he had no bloody idea what had happened in the previous days.

'You ordered me here…' Bill started, with a very icy tone. The edge in his voice could have chopped frozen meat.

'Yes I did!' Eric quickly recovered, sitting down on his desk, crossing his arms on his chest. 'So? Get on with it! Your report?'

'Hallow's body has been disposed of and her minions have been taken care of.' Bill muttered, clearly very angry. 'Taken care of' here having the sense of drained or Ginger-glamoured.

'Good. I have another mission for you, Compton.' Eric said, sombrely.

'Hadley?' I asked, softly.

Bill eyed me surprised and then turned back to Eric.

'Sookie's cousin Hadley, I'm sure you remember her, since you are the Queen's pet boy…' Eric started.

'I'm no more her pet boy than you were Russell's, _Eric_.' Bill warned. 'You know precisely why I'm still in her good graces.' He added, glancing at me briefly. I swallowed hard, biting my lip nervously.

_Yes, of course we know, Compton. Won't he ever stop drooling over her, she's mine and she'll remain mine and there's just nothing he can do about it…Should have just snatched her from him from day one like this he wouldn't have hurt her…_

I tried to not look surprised at that train of thoughts just as I'd had to hide my happiness earlier when he'd thought that he was in love with me. Why he wasn't able to say it was beyond me, but thinking it was already a good start, huh?

'Whatever. Just remember that if you cross us for her or try to harm Sookie, I'll have you eat your own balls before I stake you.' Eric said casually. I growled and he simply gave me his best smile which caused my insides to melt like hot butter. I smiled back softly. He was really too good to be true.

'What about Sookie's cousin?' Bill snapped, interrupting our gazing contest.

'Hadley has been misplaced. And we believe the Queen might me behind it all since last time we heard of the Stackhouse girl, Sophie-Anne was intent on turning her. Against her will.' Eric said.

'She's been misplaced, you say?' Bill questioned, serious.

'She was heading to Texas to be under the protection of Isabel, the new Sheriff of the Dallas Area. But she never got there. I believe Sophie-Anne has her.'

'And you want me to check it out. Alright. I'll be heading there right now.' Bill said, nodding officially before he stormed out.

Pam followed him and a minute later, Ginger walked in, looking at my outfit with a smile.

'Oh my, you are the new dancer aren't you? You looking regal, Miss, regal!' She chirped at me, kneeling on the ground to pick up the mess. I turned red and frowned at Eric who was chuckling. The woman really had been glamoured too much for her own good. She'd met me at least half a dozen times and still couldn't remember who I was. I glared at Eric, sighing.

He slid towards me and grabbed my hand, pulling me up to my tippy toes to kiss me. The man was awfully tall. And awfully good looking and yummy and all those other adjectives you can use to refer both to chocolate and extremely handsome men.

'Now come, I'll offer you a drink.' He said, pulling me towards the door.

'Huh, NO?' I said, holding on to the couch for dear life. 'No way I'm going out there dressed like a slut!' I whined, as he lifted me and placed me without arm's reach of anything solid enough for me to hold on to.

'Why not? You're looking quite yummy!' He commented, smirking as his eyes almost groped at my boobs. I slapped his hands away from my waist and frowned at him.

'Eric, come on! I'll look like one of those fangbangers…' I pleaded, pouting.

'Well, if my memory serves me well, you didn't mind banging _my_ fangs earlier…' he teased, his voice a soft purr. I felt myself liquefy, literally. Oh sweet baby Jesus, that man could do things to me…

'Eric, please.' I breathed. Ginger was still busy with her cleaning but the fact she was there made me a bit nervous. Eric picked me up and next thing I knew, we were in the broom closet. Yes, the broom closet. It was dark as hell in there and I moaned when Eric's mouth found that very sensitive spot of mine just below my jaw.

'Eric, come on. Not here!' I begged, trying to yank his hands away from my waist where they were already busy releasing me of my top.

'I like it here.' He growled in my ear, causing me to actually moan. Oh man, what had he done to me?

'Why? Cause it's all dark and gloomy?' I breathed. His mouth latched of its own accord to my neck where he busied himself giving me some _more_ hickeys. As if I wouldn't have plenty of them already! I dragged my nails down his back to the hem of his jeans, causing him to hiss loudly as I pressed his hips to mine. Northman Junior was up and ready to go and I almost minded myself to having sex in the broom closet but – thank God! – Pam yanked the door open, tapping her foot.

I pulled the leather corset down to cover myself and squinted in the light. Eric looked pointedly at my chest, his fangs drawn, not giving a husky's crap that Pam was like two centimetres away from him.

'Eric…' Pam said, her nose wrinkled.

'What, _Pamela_?' Eric growled, still eyeing my boobs and neck. God the man really was obsessed. But then again I wasn't one to miss and occasion to stare at his gorgeous butt.

_I really screwed up in teaching her timing and convenience…_

I almost laughed at that. He had screwed up. Or maybe Pam was doing it on purpose. That was most likely. Eric looked at my smirking face and I looked away. Right, I still hadn't told him I could read his thoughts once in a while.

'We have another visitor.' Pam said. 'And by the way, the two of you are really pathetic. The broom closet, really?'

'Eric's idea.' I exclaimed, defensive.

'Right.' Pam replied, a small grin on her lips. 'Eric, Sookie's a lady. And as a lady myself, I can tell you, we prefer more hygienic places to _get our groove on_ than the broom closet. The mop and the paint cans somehow don't do it for me. What about you, Sookie?' Pam asked, playful. I stifled a giggle and eyed my surroundings since the light now permitted it. Yup, dusty and gross, exactly how I liked it - not. I made a grimace and noticed for the first time my hands were still groping outrageously at Eric's ass. He didn't seem to mind, bless me. In fact, he was still having a very private conversation with my boobs and I kind of had to snap him out of it.

'Eric, Pam mentioned a visitor?' I said, bowing my head to look him in the eyes. He sighed and gazed at me dreamily.

He let go of me to follow Pam out in the bar but then turned back to me, kissing me breathless. When he let go of my mouth, which hung half open, begging for more, I must admit, he bent down and pressed his mouth next to my ear.

'I'd fuck you right now if I could.' He whispered, his tongue darting out, causing me to actually whimper. And then I was alone in the broom closet and decided it was really not the proper place to be. I headed for the employee's room, hoping to find something more decent to wear than what I had on at the moment. Luckily for me, the room was empty and I found Yvetta's locker. I grabbed the first pair of jeans that I could find and was thankful that we were the same size (not height – have I mentioned she top model tall whilst I'm more on the average side of the female spectrum?). I hoped she wouldn't mind but seeing as she wasn't even here tonight (at least I hadn't noticed her out there when I'd arrived), I hoped I'd be able to wash them and return them to her first thing tomorrow.

I returned to Eric's office where everything seemed back to normal (apart from the computer which looked absolutely awful) and sat down, waiting for him to return. I was getting bored when I suddenly felt a lot of anger through the bond. Eric. The door finally opened and Pam strolled in. She looked downright disconcerted and I stood up, nervous.

'What is it?' I chirped, suddenly very anxious for Eric.

'Trouble. Eric wants you to return to your place as fast as you can. I can't accompany you sadly but he'll go there straight when he can get rid of _them_.' Pam said, dropping on my shoulders a vest I hadn't seen her bring in. I wrapped myself in it and grabbed my purse.

'Who is them, Pam?' I asked, making it obvious I wouldn't leave without an answer.

'King Felipe. And his pet-vamp Victor.' Pam simply hissed. My eyes went wide and I was about to ask some more questions but she ushered me out. 'He doesn't, want them to notice you. Please be careful Sookie and get yourself safely to Bon Temps. Call me when you're there.' She added before kissing me on the cheek and pushing me out the employee door. I shuddered in the cool air of the night and walked quickly to my car. The evening hadn't exactly turned how my hormones had hoped it would but I reminded myself Eric had other matters to attend to than my pleasure. I slid into my car and rolled off the lot, heading for the highway. When I pulled in my driveway, I knew immediately something was wrong. But in a good Sookie manner, I tried to dismiss my worries and walked to my door briskly. On my porch, sitting on the bench was a hooded figure. I jumped back in surprise and put my hand on my mouth to stifle my cry of surprise. I backed down the steps of my porch but the hooded figure pulled back her cloak. And I almost yelled in surprise.

'Hadley?' I exclaimed. It was rather dark, but I could make out her face. My gut feeling was yelling at me that something was off. I pushed aside my family manners and decided to listen to her thoughts.

Nothing. As in vampire-empty. I instinctively stepped back. Oh. My. God.

'Sookie.' She finally said, taking a careful step towards me. Her skin was awfully white and her teeth awfully pointy. Or should I say fangs? Yes, she definitely had those. She covered her mouth nervously, sniffing at the surroundings to make sure we were alone. Or that I was alone?

'Hadley. Oh my god. She did it…' I simply gasped, stepping towards her. She was my cousin after all. 'Are you alone?' I suddenly asked, alert.

'Yes.' She said. Her 'S' sounded a bit hissy as it did with most young vampires. Having fangs was something you needed to get used to, I realised. I walked up the steps of my porch, taking my keys out to go in.

'Hunter is safe.' I told her, gesturing for her to come in. I didn't exactly fear her. She was after all still very much Hadley, which is a frail blond headed sweet girl of Bon Temps. With a bite. She looked quite dishevelled and stayed right at the door. I then realised I'd forgotten to verbally invite her in.

'Sorry, come in, please.' I said. 'I'll need to get used to it.' I whispered, sombrely. 'Hadley, I'm so sorry…' I said, taking her hand. Her skin was death cool and it surprised me. I felt a lump in my throat. How unfair was it? Now Hadley sure as hell would never see her son again.

'It's not your fault, Sookie. Sophie-Anne always gets what she wants…' Hadley muttered darkly. 'You don't happen to have True Blood by any chance? I'm really hungry. And you smell really, really good.' She added with a tiny smile. I shuddered slightly and lead her to the kitchen where I popped her a bottle of O negative in the microwave. She drank it down in a gulp and wiped her bloody lips with the back of her hand. I noticed for the first time how bizarre her clothes were. She was wearing a thick velvety cape all in black with a huge hood that rested on her back at the moment. And she had black velvety bows in her pigtails. She wore a dark red lipstick that made her now very pale skin stand out. And she had on beautiful earrings. I'd seen them before, I was sure. And then it hit me: they were Sophie-Anne's, the exact ones she'd worn when I'd last seen her.

'Can I have another one?' Hadley asked, tugging at her pigtails.

'Sure.' I gave her a second bottle and amazed at how fast she drank it. I'd forgotten how much young vampires drank compared to old ones like Eric.

'How's Hunter?' She asked me, her voice soft.

'Last I heard he was doing great. He's safely home with Remy.' I said, my hands rubbing each other nervously. I had a really, really bad feeling about all this.

'I want to thank you, Sookie. And your Vampire too. I know you both did all you could to keep me and Hunter safe.' Hadley said, her eyes never leaving mine. 'I'm really sorry…' she whispered.

'Why? I'm the one who's sorry for…' And then my instincts kicked in. 'Wait a minute… Why are you here, Hadley?' I asked, backing away from the table, frantically looking for anything wooden or silver. I instinctively grabbed my cell phone which I'd left on the counter and shoved it in my pocket.

'Well to see you, cousin.' She beamed. She stood up slowly for a vampire but the next minute, she was in my face, a hand caressing my cheek.

'I'm really sorry, Sookie. I just _have_ to obey. She's my maker.' She finished.

'I rescind my…' But she put her hand on my mouth. Hard. I tried to bite her but she was infinitely stronger than I, even though I'd always been the more strongly built of the two. She grabbed my flaying arms with her other hand and pulled me towards the door. Once we were outside, she let go of my mouth and used both her arms to drag me.

'Hadley, let me go! You don't have to do this!' I begged her, trying my best to get her to let me go. I hit her hard in the stomach and she winced before growling at me.

'Don't make this any harder than it is for me, please, cousin.' She hissed at me, a bloody tear at the corner of her eye.

'Please don't kill me, Hadley!' I whimpered, suddenly very afraid. She was still pulling me, inexorably towards her car which she'd parked in the back of the house so as to not arouse my suspicion. I yelled Jessica's name hoping she was at Bill's since Bill most probably wasn't there himself. No one came, of course.

'I'm not going to kill you, Sookie. I just have to bring you to her. Those were my orders.' Hadley sobbed. 'I'm sorry.' She said, opening the trunk of her car before she shoved me in. I slumped down disgracefully and started to panic. I wasn't going to be able to breath! But then, she punched through the trunk top. As in she literally punctured the metal and made a hole big enough for me to see outside and breath fresh air without being able to reach out and open the trunk.

'I'm really sorry, Sookie.' She whispered before I heard her walk to the driver's side and climb in. The car purred to life and I started hitting the trunk with my fists, helplessly trying to make some noise. I suddenly wished really hard for Eric to be here to save me. But God knew how long he'd be busy with Felipe something and that other vampire. We were probably on the highway because the car sped up a lot. I suddenly realised I still had my cell phone if not my purse which I'd left on a kitchen chair. I pulled it out and almost cried in disappointment. The battery was dying. I texted Eric because I knew if I tried to call, the phone would just die on me.

_Hadleys been vamped. Took me. Taking me to SA's. Please come. Luv u. _

I hit send and realised for the first time in the last frantic minutes that I was crying. I tried to calm down and closed my eyes since there wasn't much to see in the dark trunk anyways. Every time we'd hit a bump, I'd feel it very effectively in my back since there wasn't any sort of padding in here. I curled into a little ball and prayed that Eric would check his goddamned texts very soon.

'Please don't let that crazy bitch hurt me.' I whispered. 'I promise I'll go to Church more often.' I promised Him up there before I drifted off to sleep. The road to New Orleans was a long one…


	27. You Turn My Blood Into Gasoline

**INSPIRED I WAS, SO CHAPTER 27 I WROTE :) Btw, once again, thank you all so, so much for the reviews and the comments! Don't hesitate to criticize, makes me a better writer :) I remind you once more the grammar is sometimes fucked up (blame my French gals :P) and I apologize for this but so far I think I'm doing an okay job :)**

**Yeah yeah yeah, I wanted to make up for being so lazy this week end so I wrote another chapter! I'll try and update on Concrete in your Hair tonight cause let's face it, we all need our weekly dose of Eric Sookiness :)**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Review if you can! It mAkes me want to LALA in the kitchen on the floor! hahaha Dear ol' Ashlee Simpson lollll Title inspired by the song The Dragster-Wave by the Belgian group Ghinzu. It is one of my favourite songs ever :D hope you like it ;)**

**xxoxoxoxo**

I woke up when the car stopped. I had no idea what time it now was. I checked my phone and realised it had died on me. The trunk opened and Hadley helped me out, without uttering a word. I decided I might as well follow and plan my escape once I'd have seen exactly what I was trying to escape from. The place was well lit and it looked downright pretty and very out of place. The surroundings were dark and I couldn't exactly tell where we were but I could smell the sea. So we were really in New Orleans. Hadley dragged me by the elbow on a little sort of bridge towards the doors where stood two very nasty looking guards. They looked exactly as you'd expect a couple of vampire guards to look: dark, tall, big and downright scary.

'That's the human, let me through.' Hadley ordered them. And they stepped aside, obviously used to seeing Hadley.

The room in which we entered looked as if it were lit by broad daylight, which was a total illusion for it was still pitch black outside even though it was almost four in the morning. The corridor in which we then passed lead to a big room with a pool in the middle. All around the pool on _chaises_ rested some humans and a very predatory looking Andre. I swallowed hard when he looked up at me with a smirk and tried to hide behind Hadley.

'Hadley, you are back! Sophie-Anne is going to be de-light-ed!' Andre sneered, pushing her aside to pull me to him. He was dressed in the most ridiculous purple outfit. As in everything was purple and not a dark classy plum, more like a Barney-the-dinosaur purple. I snickered and glared at him. He eyed me and I crossed my arms the best I could around my vest so as to cover myself. I still was wearing that awful leather corset and I didn't want to entice his appetites any more than necessary.

'What a beautiful creature she is, isn't she, Hadley?' Andre hissed, cupping my chin. He then took in the sight of my throat and neck and snickered. 'Eric is still quite the bed mate I can see…' he continued, sarcastically. Eric's imperious hickey making had paid off since my throat was now covered in very ominous looking spots. Yes, he'd marked me just right, _damn him_. Andre pulled me towards one of the chaises as Hadley stood there, silent.

'Her clothes are totally inappropriate for her to meet Sophie-Anne. We have standards, here, young lady. Hadley, fetch her something nice.' He ordered my very silent cousin. She looked up at me and sighed before walking out through a different door than the one we'd just used. No one around the pool seemed to give a rat's ass that I was here or that Andre wanted to play Barbie with me so I realised there wasn't much use in resisting – they wouldn't help.

'So, my dear, how are you liking your new home?' Andre hissed with as much sympathy in his voice as I could have mustered towards him – which is none at all.

'Eric is going to have your skin as a _fucking_ carpet if you do as much as touch me.' I hissed back, trying to regain composure. I wasn't going to let him get to me and I knew deep down that Eric might actually do just that if he arrived in time to save me and to kill that awful Andre. Andre's dark eyes bore into mine and – sweet mama – he tried to glamour me.

'You will obey and let us drink from you and you'll be Sophie-Anne's pet. Is that clear?' he whispered. I stifled a giggle and gave him my best crazy Sookie smile. Obviously, Bill hadn't bothered telling them all that I could only be glamoured if I so desired to be, which of course I didn't.

'Yeah, right, _Barney_.' I sneered at him. Pulling my arm out of his hold, I sat on a little couch and stared at my hands. He remained silent for a few seconds. He was about to explode – figuratively – in anger but Hadley was back and she dragged me behind some sort of _paravent _for me to change. She had brought me a cream dress that looked very vintage and a pair of emerald green heels. I stared at the outfit and frowned.

'I'm not wearing _that_.' I hissed at Hadley, not caring one second that she was a vampire and could very well force me into the dress if she wanted to.

'Come on, Sookie, the more you resist the harder this is going to be for you. And me.' Hadley whispered, pulling my vest off softly.

'I wouldn't even be here if not for your big mouth, dearest cousin.' I snapped at her, remembering the only reason Sophie-Anne knew about me was that Hadley had told her of my existence.

'You think I don't regret it?' Hadley whispered, and I saw a bloody tear at the corner of her eye. She wiped it away and gave me some underwear in a nice lacy cream colour to put on. She turned around so as to leave me some privacy which I appreciated. I pulled on the vintage dress which was quite pretty against my tan and realised it would be better than that ugly corset. When I was dressed, Hadley dragged me back to my couch. Andre hadn't move one bit and was still glaring at me.

Sophie-Anne chose that moment to enter, dressed in a beautiful silk kimono all in a pristine white with beautiful turquoise and green flowers drawn on it. She smiled when she saw me and strolled towards me.

'Oh my pet fae! At last you're here!' She sing-sang, a dangerous grin on her face. I frowned at her and simply hissed.

'I'm no one's pet, you bitch.' She glared at Andre.

'You didn't glamour her yet? What are you waiting for? Must I really do everything myself?' She snapped at him, her red hair bouncing as she strolled towards him, a pointy nail right under his nose, menacing him.

'I did glamour her!' Andre hissed. 'It doesn't seem to work!'

'Nonsense! You're so useless sometimes, Andre, I wonder why I even bothered saving your sorry ass back in the days…' Sophie-Anne snickered, turning to me. She bore her gaze into mine and tried the same thing as Andre had before. I sighed.

'Are you done yet?' I said, yawning. My nap hadn't really made up for my somewhat busy night.

'What the fuck is wrong with her, Hadley!' Sophie-Anne yapped.

'I don't know, my Queen…' Hadley whispered, staring at her feet.

'Bill never said she couldn't be glamoured.' Sophie-Anne growled, pacing in front of the little pool on her six inch heeled strappy sandals. I felt a strong urge to push her in the water and dash for the door but that would have been both very stupid and very useless. Even if I could momentarily disable Sophie-Anne (which I wasn't even sure I could), there was still Andre and Hadley and god knows how many guards. Speaking about guards, one of them approached Sophie-Anne and whispered something to her. Her frown disappeared to turn into a very predatory smile. She turned to me and smirked evilly.

'Seems like your ex-boyfriend is here, Miss Stackhouse.' She hissed.

'Bill?' I exclaimed just as he entered the room. I don't think he could have been any less surprised then me but in a good vampire fashion, his face betrayed nothing at all. He looked at me and our eyes connected a brief second. How I wished I could read his thoughts at that moment. But then again, the Queen had no idea Bill was working for Eric and the Magister so I maybe had a chance.

'My Liege, I see you have acquired the pet you so desired!' Bill exclaimed, a smile on his face. I knew he was just playing along to buy us more time so I decided to do the same.

'Bill! Save me, please!' I begged, not really playing a role at all, I realised.

'Sookie, I'm sorry but my Queen's orders were to seduce you for her. Now that you are here, we have no more ties.' Bill said, his voice cool and icy. I slipped away from Hadley's surveillance and ran to him, drumming my fists on his chest.

'How could you!' I yelled at him. 'How could you do this to me! I hate you, you hear me? I HATE you!' I screamed, holding myself back on his jacket lapels as tears rolled down my face. I must have been pretty convincing because Sophie-Anne ticked in annoyance and Andre sighed heavily.

'Compton, make her behave, please?' Sophie-Anne hissed at him. 'And why the fuck did you never mention the fact she cannot be glamoured? Would have saved us all a lot of trouble…' She added, cocking a suspicious eyebrow at him.

'Must have slipped my mind.' Bill replied, coolly. He then whispered something in my ear before roughly pushing me down on a nearby couch, sticking to the role of the jerk ex.

'Eric's gonna be on his way soon.' I blinked to signal him I'd heard and tried my best to look miserable. Which wasn't all that hard, you can trust me.

'Now, Bill, will you be staying for a drink?' Sophie-Anne said, casually showcasing with her hand all her humans. They all stood to offer themselves to Bill but he dismissed them with a bored look.

'I already fed, my Queen. But I'll stay for the day if you can extend the curtesy. It's a long drive back to Bon Temps…' He muttered, taking a seat next to me. I was still sobbing and sniffed loudly. Sophie-Anne turned to me and smirked.

'Now, now, I would really love to taste you and then we'll play Yah-tzee. You up for a game, Compton? I would just love to see how good you are. That Eric really sucked, I must say.' Sophie-Anne said, pulling me to my feet.

'No!' I snarled, yanking my arm away from her.

'You listen to me, little human, I will feed from you whether you like it or not. And don't even try that little magic of yours or I'll have your hands chopped off.' She hissed, darkly. I knew for a fact she would have no actual dilemma about whether she could or not do that so I just nodded. It wasn't like I had any control whatsoever over my powers. She sat down on the couch next to me and grabbed my wrist. Bill growled and she looked up at him.

'You may have a taste if you like…' She conceded, rolling her eyes. I yelped in pain when she bit down and tears flowed from my eyes. I was getting really, really, really pissed now. Not only had she turned my cousin – who was currently as helpless as a green plant – but she was also drinking from me as if she had a right to do so. I felt that familiar tingle in my hands and suppressed it, trying to concentrate on the pain. I didn't want to see if she would indeed chop off my hands and I decided it was smarter not to give her reasons to. Bill hadn't taken up her offer to drink and was sitting on a couch with Hadley, murmuring to her rapidly. Andre had left the room at some point during the conversation and so had all the humans. That left me, a grunting Sophie-Anne, my vampire and my vampire ex. A bizarre family reunion when you thought about it – Hadley being Sophie-Anne's progeny and my cousin and Bill being my ex. After a few more gulps, Sophie-Anne let go of my bloodied wrist and I clutched it to my chest, not caring one second about the cream dress which turned red in a second.

'Let me close the wounds at least, you dumb fae. Your blood is a delight!' She hissed, snatching my burning wrist away from the dress and licking it thoroughly, closing the wounds. I curled into a ball on the couch and waited for something to happen. 'Compton, she tastes even better than you'd said she did!' She continued, cooing happily. Hadley stared at her feet with her cheeks flaming red.

'Oh Hadley, you know you'll always be my favourite. Even if you tried to run away from me.' Sophie-Anne said, a small smile on her lips. Hadley looked up and sighed.

'Now, let's play Yah-tzee!' the Queen yelped, clapping her hands like a child. Two guards entered the room with a small round table and they placed it not far from us. Sophie-Anne pulled me towards the table and Hadley and Bill joined us. Yah-tzee consisted of a simple dice game which was based on pure luck, or so Sophie-Anne wanted us to think. When she got her seventh Yah-tzee in a row, I began to doubt very much if luck really had anything to do with it at all.

I felt like shit and wanted a bath really bad. It was now my turn to play.

'Wasn't her Vampire with her?' Sophie-Anne suddenly chirped, turning to stare at Hadley who looked gloomy as hell.

'Eric?' Hadley asked, looking at me intently.

'Who other. She reeks of him.' Sophie-Anne said. 'And her neck. Pity I don't like men, cause he sure is one tasty piece.' She added, raising her eyebrows suggestively at me.

'No he wasn't with her. I didn't smell him otherwise I wouldn't have tried taking her tonight…' Hadley said, staring at her nails which were painted a dark crimson.

'Right. I don't know what it is with him and you Compton. What do you find so fascinating about her if not her blood?' Sophie-Anne asked Bill, cocking her head to the side. I shook the stupid red glass and my dices fell loudly on the glass table, causing Sophie-Anne's glare to turn to me.

'Ha! You're almost as bad as Northman!' She smirked. 'What was I saying again? Oh yes, Compton? What do you find so fascinating with that human girl? Enough to be monogamous with her?' Sophie-Anne said, sounding abashed and disgusted by the mere idea of monogamy. I scoffed and sniffed, pressing my burning forehead on my arms, not wanting to look at that crazy teenaged Queen.

'Is it really of importance, why I loved her?' Bill said, using purposely the past tense. My head snapped up and I glared at him.

'Love. Ha! Compton, you are pathetic. Good that you came to your senses. What do you think the Viking will do when he finds out I took her?' She asked Bill, shaking the little red glass annoyingly loudly. 'YAH-TZEE!' She cooed, glorious.

'Again.' Hadley muttered sombrely.

'I do not know, my Queen' Bill said, eyeing me purposely. He knew damn well what Eric would do, rip her to shreds that is. But then again, there was always the matter of Arthur McAlister and his twisted ways as Magister. I didn't know how the whole thing would play out but I knew for sure there would be blood, mine or someone else's.

'Can I please go to bed?' I asked, feeling awfully tired. I could tell the night would be over soon and Eric wouldn't be attacking just yet.

'Well of course, we had a room prepared just for you! I hope you like it!' Sophie-Anne exclaimed, smiling a little too much to my taste. She clasped her hand on Hadley and gave her what resembled a seductive smirk.

'Hadley, why don't you show our little Sookie her room!' Next thing I knew, I was being dragged out of the pool room and into the chandelier lit corridor and down another one. Everything looked very Marie-Antoinette and I realised it was probably the look Sophie-Anne had been aiming for. Hadley pushed open a door and gave me the grand tour. The room was actually quite beautiful and I might have enjoyed it had it not been for the bars on the windows and the fact I was being held here against my will. There were candy coloured drapes everywhere and the bed had big fluffy pillows in all shades of pink and peach.

'Need anything?' Hadley whispered, staring at her feet. I'd never seen a vampire looking so afraid of a human.

'A bath.' I replied, my voice edgy. She showed me the bathroom which was adjacent to the bedroom and I noticed the only door out of this place was the one through which we'd arrived. She left and I heard the lock turn in the door. Right, they wouldn't want me to escape now would they. I took off the horrid dress and was surprised to find a wardrobe filled with clothes. All very expansive looking and at my size. And all way too elegant for everyday wear. I grabbed a little sundress in a beautiful hot pink silk and almost gasped when I read the tag. _Dior_. I didn't even want to look at the price tag which I snatched off and threw in a corner. They had even provided me with a drawer filled with lingerie. I picked some stuff and decided I might as well look good if I was to be snacked on. The bath was a total bliss as the bathroom had been provided for with tons of heavenly smelling creams and pots. If there was one thing I couldn't hate about Sophie-Anne was her thoughtfulness in making my stay as comfortable as possible. I decided to nap before I put on the dress since there wasn't much else to do – I did spot a few magazines in a corner – and I didn't want to wrinkle the beautiful material. I was about to fall asleep when I heard a small tap on the door. I tiptoed to it and opened it, surprised at the fact it was now unlocked, a peignoir wrapped around my lingerie clad body. It was Bill. I pulled him in and closed the door behind him.

'What the hell are you doing here, Sookie?' He whispered, cuddling me to his chest. I pushed back and remembered how I'd been pissed at him.

'Hadley was at my place when I arrived. I was dumb to allow her in but she looked so desperate…' I replied, thinking myself a fool for ever trusting her.

'Desperately vampire, yes. I can't believe we didn't think about that…' Bill growled.

'About what?'

'About the fact Sophie-Anne was going to use her to get to you.' Bill admitted, gloomy.

'Where's Eric? Why hasn't he arrived yet?' I asked Bill. He sighed.

'There's been trouble. Lots of it. I believe King Felipe came to Fangtasia last evening.'

'Yes, I heard about that. Him and a certain Victor. Eric didn't want them meeting me…' I said, not understanding what this was all about.

'With reason. We have enough of one Queen knowing what you are thanks to your dumb cousin. We don't need the Kind of Nevada breathing down your neck too. He's a lot more powerful than Sophie-Anne. The casino business runs rather well…' Bill added, listening to a noise in the corridor. He pressed his hand on my mouth and I tried to pull him towards the big drapes in the corner of the room to hide him, but the steps receded down the hall and we were safe and alone once more.

'That still doesn't explain why Eric isn't here now…' I retorted. 'Or Pam. Or Chow for all I know!'

'Sookie, they can't just barge in here and kill everyone.' Bill replied, shaking his head from side to side.

'Maybe I can escape if you help me?' I offered, cocking my head to the side.

'There are guards everywhere. I had to knock one unconscious to get here…'

'So what about the King of Nevada?' I reminded him.

'I believe Felipe wants to take over the states of Mississippi and Louisianna now that they don't have a stable government on them…' Bill declared, serious.

'But what about Sophie-Anne, she still is Queen!' I exclaimed.

'Not for long… McAlister hasn't taken very well to her minions shedding human blood in Fangtasia. He is gathering evidence to take her out. And I think he might be very close to doing that. But if Felipe wants to take over the two states once there's no one in his way, there is not a lot we will be able to do about it. Not even McAlister and Miss Flanagan.' Bill explained.

'Oh shit. But why would they visit Eric?'

'Because he's very powerful, Sookie. I don't think you grasp just yet how powerful he is. And very influential in the vampire world. You don't survive a thousand years playing nice and fair, as you might have guessed. And I do believe Felipe considers him a friend of some sort. Though I'm not sure Eric extends the same feelings to him…'

'So he wants Eric's help taking over? But why was Eric so angry then?' I mused.

'Angry? Did he say anything?' Bill replied, suddenly very alert.

'No. Not exactly.' How was I supposed to tell Bill I could feel most of Eric's emotions without making it any more obvious we'd shared blood a lot more than once.

'The blood.' Bill said, sombrely. 'Right. You two… Yes. He was angry, you say?'

'More like extremely furious. It was very brief though and then it went back to normal. I guess Felipe told him something he didn't like?'

'Or Victor. Eric hates him. And in this case it is a mutual feeling.' Bill growled.

'Victor? I heard his name who is he? Pam didn't have time to tell me anything.' I said. I noticed a drop of blood rolling from Bill's nose and realised he must have been trying very hard to remain awake. He wasn't that old a vampire.

'He's Felipe's second in command. And he's dangerous. And power-driven. And he hates Eric because he fears him. Whatever happens, Victor must never find out what's between you and Eric or you'd become his number one target.' Bill warned, frowning.

'So Eric won't be here for a while. So I really have to get out. Can you help me?' I said, gazing up at him hopefully.

'I told you there's no way except if I kill all the guards. And even then I won't be able to protect you outside… It's day.' Bill muttered.

'So I wait?' I said, desperate.

'I think that would be the wisest thing to do. Sophie-Anne is having some sort of celebration tonight and you are expected to be there by her side as her… her human.'

'You mean her pet.' I snarled, pouting.

'Yes. She won't hurt you. She doesn't drink that often and I rather doubt she'll be willing to share you with her vampires.'

'What about Andre?' I asked, suddenly afraid.

'What about him?' Bill asked, genuinely curious.

'He doesn't like me. He creeps me out, Bill. Really. I don't know why but I'm sure he's up to no good.'

'I'll try and figure out what he's up to and I'll get back to you later. Now rest, save your energy for later, you'll need it.' He said, kissing my forehead and slipping out of the room. I curled back on the bed and tried to sleep. I woke up startled, feeling very good and bubbly as if I were made of champagne. I peeked around me through my half closed lids and gasped in surprise. I wasn't in my bed anymore, but on soft grass.

Standing next to me, dressed in a dazzling suit, a cane in his hand, stood a tall man with a beautiful smile and golden hair. He had a sort of halo all around him and I briefly wondered if I'd died and crossed over. Silly me.

'My child, I am Niall Brigant, your great-grand-father.' He said, his hand extended to help me up.

'_Jesus Christ Shepherd of Judea_!' I squealed.


	28. While I Try To Find The Exit Sign

**Hello my dear readers! First, thank you all for the wonderful reviews! **

**I'm sorry I've been so bad and haven't updated in a few days but I was writing for my other story Concrete In Your Hair (which I shall update tomorrow probably), but anyhow, here goes the new chapter! Hope you enjoy it! **

**Title of this chapter is from the song The Police And The Private by the Montreal band Metric! I LOVE THEM :)**

**Please review! I love your reviews! they keep me inspired :) xoxoxoxoxoox**

'Oh my god. What am I doing here?' I asked, taking in my surrounding. Niall held out his hand to me to help me up and I was surprised at the power and strength I felt in his slender fingers. He didn't look quite that old so I was more than surprised when I realised he was the grand-father of Claudine and Claude, and my great-grand-father! He had a beautiful mane of golden hair which was carefully styled and he had the most beautiful blue eyes.

'I summoned you here because dark times are coming, my child, and as the last of humans of our bloodline, we must protect you.' Niall started saying. Claudine suddenly appeared out of thin air and jumped into my arms, hugging me tight.

'Oh Sookie, it's so good to have you back! Will she be staying, Niall?' Claudine asked, looking from my face to Niall's. He was the image of serenity and tranquility and one couldn't help but feel at peace when with him. But beyond that image, I could feel his power, his strength and his ruthlessness. He could kill as easily as a vampire and he would if he needed to.

_Claudine, do not speak in this way, she is not here to stay… She is mostly human and this land is not for her_

_But she'd be better here with us, we love her and we can protect her. Vampires will be her demise and you know it very well, Niall…_

I was startled. They were having a telepathic conversation, much like the ones I had with Hunter. This could only mean Hunter was part fairy too, I realized.

'Excuse me, Sir, but I must ask you something…' I started to say. He turned to me and smiled softly. Yes, he was the spitting image of a grandfather. A very young one, though.

'Yes, my child?' Niall spoke, his hand pressed to my cheek.

'I don't understand this bloodline thing very well, I'm afraid. I mean I have a brother and we are the same blood, and there is my cousin's son who… he's like me. Like us I believe. He can read minds…' I said, at lost for words. I felt as though I wasn't making sense at all, but Claudine and Niall looked at each other understandingly.

'Hunter, is it not? Miss Hadley's son?' Niall said, thoughtful.

_She no longer is human, that poor soul… _Niall thought at Claudine.

_You mean… _Claudine thought and I saw images of fangs and blood in her mind.

_Yes, she was made undead…But there is still the matter of her son, Hunter…_

'Precisely. You said I was the last human of this bloodline. If he's like us wouldn't it be him?' I said, answering his spoken question rather than his telepathic one. I hadn't exactly been invited to their mind to mind conversation and I felt it would have been rude to just poke in.

'It's a little more complicated than that…' Claudine breathed.

'But… I need to know. How can you be my great-grand-father? And the bloodline? This is just a whole complicated mess for me and… it doesn't make any sense…' I staggered, sighing.

_Should we tell her at all? Won't that make her more vulnerable to the other Princes if she knows?_ Claudine thought at Niall.

'I don't mean to be rude but I can hear that…' I said.

'Sorry, it's just we are so used to communicating this way…' Claudine explained. 'As I told you before, Sookie, the last time you were here with Claude and I, Niall has many powerful enemies. Enemies who would see very fit to dispose of you to spite him.' Claudine said, a slight frown on her face.

'My child you need a powerful protector. I believe that vampire of yours…' Niall said.

'Eric?' I interrupted him.

'Yes. I believe he can protect you. By nature, fairies do not trust vampires, they are our lethal enemies and they are the cause for most of us to have run extinct.' Niall said, sombrely. 'But he is different. He is a loyal man and a courageous one.'

'And quite good looking too.' Claudine whispered to me, a laugh in her voice. I smiled a bit and then returned my gaze to Niall.

'He is worthy of your trust, my child. But I do still believe you should know where you come from.' Niall said, throwing a meaningful look at Claudine. Claudine's face closed and she sat on a stone bench, taking my hand in hers. I sat next to her and Niall started speaking once more.

'You see, my child, Fae are a very old and powerful race. We were on this planet even before the first vampires emerged from the darkness. We, Fae, run the elements. I am Prince of the skies, and as Prince of the skies, I have enemies who abound. Most Fae Royal lines are close to extinct, since most of us are against breeding with humans. One of my sons, Fintan, however, fell in love with a woman and gave her two children. That woman was your Grandmother Adele, I believe. And the children were...'

'My father and aunt Linda? But what about my Grandfather? Where was he?' I asked, dumbfounded.

'Fae can alter the minds of humans, a bit like vampires glamour them. My son was foolish enough to believe he could do as he pleased. But the other nations of the Fae heard about his breeding and decided to end the bloodline…' Niall said, serious. And suddenly it dawned on me. What Claudine had told me the first time I'd come to Fae, about my parents not being killed by the water.

'You mean…' I started, a sob in my voice.

'The Fae of the waters and of the forests did not like for us to breed with humans. They'd rather go extinct than to allow humans to bear their children. The flood that killed your father Corbett and your mother was caused by the Water Fairies: they killed your parents and hid the evidence with the flooding of the bridge. They simply did not realize at the time your father had already transmitted his bloodline to you and your brother Jason. I believe we can thank Fintan for that.'

'But you said…'

'Yes, only you have the powers of the fairies. Jason only got from us his looks and charm which is one of our characteristics. He won't pass on to his children any form of fairyblood. We do not well comprehend how this works because technically, your cousin Hadley should have received the powers just like you, but instead, it was her son, Hunter. We will take care of him, you can be sure of that. I do believe Fintan wanted to keep your existence secret to us all and that is why it took so long for Claudine to reach you.' Niall explained. 'But my child, there are many forces at play here. Fintan, my son, is no longer. He has been murdered by another Fae and us Faes are currently at war. The Faes of the skies, waters, forests, fire and earth. It has never been such a bad time to be part-fairy as it is now. And this war, I do not wish you to be part of. You are too valuable for that. Claudine will navigate between our two worlds but she does not have the power to protect herself from Vampires as I do. She is still quite a young being…' Niall said, gently patting Claudine's shoulder. Claudine laughed and shook her head.

'So you mean that I won't be coming here anymore?' I asked, curious. It wasn't like I actually was going to miss this place, where everything felt too perfect and too bright, but then again, these people were my family, or as close as you could get.

'No. It is the last time I risk taking you to Fae. I might come to see you and Claude and Claudine will go often to see how you are doing and to make sure no one harms you, but you cannot come back here. It is too dangerous.' Niall said, darkly. He had the most handsome face I had ever seen on a man of his age. He didn't look that old, don't mistake me, no more than his late forties, which was quite peculiar considering his son had had an affair with my Grandmother, but then again, something told me that Claudine wasn't all that young either, whatever Niall might say, and she looked no more than her late twenties.

'I'm sorry if I ask this of you, but is there anything you can do to help me escape from the Queen of Louisianna? I would much rather be out of there so that Eric doesn't do anything stupid…' I said. As much as I had been terrified earlier of him not coming to get me sooner, I knew I didn't want him risking anything to save me. I wanted him safe and sound and mine. Not killing that stupid Sophie-Anne.

'We cannot teleport you, if that is what you had in mind, and we cannot kill her for you either.' Niall said, soothing. 'It would expose us too much to vampires. They are very dangerous, my child. Never underestimate them. But I believe your Viking is on his way to save you.'

'I don't want to lose him. I couldn't bear it!' I said passionately, realizing for the first time how afraid I was that he'd vanish from my life.

'Have a little faith, my child. He is quite the cunning type. He won't make a move if he's not perfectly sure he can save you and protect what is his.' Niall said, patting my cheek softly.

'We will watch for you, Sookie. Always. You are never alone.' Claudine said, gently hugging me.

'Now is time for you to go, my child.' Niall suddenly said, eyeing the surrounding trees with a glint of alert in his eyes.

'But there is so much you haven't told me…' I said.

'I know, but there is no time. I shall visit you sometime soon and tell you what I must. Now go.'

The next thing I knew, I was back on the grass and I fell in a deep sleep. And then I woke up in the peachy cushions on the bed at Sophie-Anne's.

I hadn't slept all that long, I realised, when I saw the time on the ancient clock on the wall. It was close to noon and I decided to read a bit before I prepared for the celebration. I had no idea what I was expected to wear or to do at Andre's birthday (damn him), but I certainly had no intention of causing a fuss that would probably result in my life becoming even more complicated than it already was.

At around four, someone knocked at my door before opening it. It was some sort of maid and she deposited a clothes envelope on my bed with a little curtsy. I was quite taken aback because I'd never had room service in my life, let alone a maid of my own. I opened the envelope and gasped in delight (heck I'm still a girl!). Yes, I was in a really icky situation, but the dress in the envelope was simply too gorgeous. Sophie-Anne had taste if not humanity and decency. The gown was of a beautiful scarlet colour and it tied at the neck with a delicate ribbon that fell down the back of the dress which scooped all the way to the curve of my bottom. The dress was a slender A-line and it fell down to the floor. There was a pair of shoes in a box the maid had brought and I tried them on. I took another shower to look my best and did my makeup and hair which I left down but ironed into loose curls. I then sat on the bed, waiting for someone to come and get me. At six, my door opened on Bill and another vampire I'd never seen.

'The Queen awaits.' Bill spoke, sombrely. I took his offered arm and he gave it a gentle squeeze, his eyes boring into mine. He then looked at the hem of my dress meaningfully. I didn't understand at first what was his point but then got it.

'Oh dear, my dress, I think I must have pulled a thread!' I yelped. The other vampire checker me and Bill out, obviously bored.

'You go ahead, we will be right behind you.' Bill said to the vampire, bending down to help me with the unharmed hem of my dress.

'What is it?' I whispered to him.

'You look amazing.' He said, a small grin on his face. I rolled my eyes and looked over his shoulder at the other vampire who was checking us out from the other end of the corridor, suspicious.

'Any news of Eric? Or Pam?' I asked him.

'I don't know when they intend to pounce, but be ready for anything. Take this.' He said, slipping his hand in his coat pocket and then handing me something. It was a wooden stake, very slender and seemingly delicate, but I could feel the wood was a tough carve and wouldn't break even though it was about as large as a highlighter. I slipped it in the corsage of my dress which luckily had a built in bra which permitted the stake not to fall. Thank God for my bosom, I thought, since it allowed the stake not to show.

'You think I'll be needing that?' I whispered to him as he helped me stand up.

'I'd rather you be prepared for any eventuality.' He whispered low, holding my arm once more as we strolled down the corridor. I could hear some old music playing in a room where I'd never been.

When we entered, I was taken aback by how many people were there. Vampires, I should say, because the moment I stepped in, every single face turned in my direction and fangs were drawn. This was really getting old, I thought, grimly. I spotted Sophie-Anne immediately. She was sitting on some sort of throne (yes, well she _is_ a Queen, after all). She was wearing a black sleeveless gown that scooped very low and she had around her neck the most dazzling necklace made of rubies, the exact same shade as my dress. _Matchy-matchy_, I thought. And to add to the ridicule of the whole situation, she had on a tiara of a black metal in her hair which was pulled up into some intricate hairdo.

On her left, sitting in a somewhat more ordinary chair was Andre, dressed to kill. And kill me he nearly did: he was absolutely ridiculous in a blinding red suit. Everything of his ensemble was red, from the tie to the shirt to the socks and shoes. I stifled a giggle since the room had grown very silent the moment Bill and I had entered but he was just the most unfashionable vampire I'd yet to meet.

Andre glared at me as he always did and Sophie-Anne smiled, proud. She gestured for the party to continue and vampires went back to their business, giving me awkward looks that ranged from envy (heck I didn't know what was to envy about this golden cage) to hunger. Most people in the room wore the most expensive dresses and suits I'd ever seen, even in magazines. Obviously, if money had been an issue for Sophie-Anne with the IRS breathing down her neck, it wasn't an issue for her subjects or friends or whatever all these people were.

Bill lead me to Sophie-Anne's throne and I noticed for the first time the two other chairs on its right. One was empty, the one immediately next to Sophie-Anne, but the other one was occupied by Hadley who looked weary and sad. I could see from her bloodied nostrils she hadn't had much sleep today. She caught me staring and wiped her nose on her black evening gloves. To contrast with the Queen, her dress was all of a gauzy white material and she had a few blood red roses in her hair which was tucked in a low chignon at the nape of her neck. She smiled softly at me and I saw her fangs poke out involuntarily and she quickly covered her mouth, ashamed. I remembered Jessica having issues with those in her first few weeks so I felt bad for Hadley even though she'd gotten me in this mess in the first place.

'Well, well, isn't it my pet Fae. You look dazzling, my dear. I knew red would suit her. Not as well as you, Andre, of course.' Sophie-Anne said, giving me and Andre a knowing look. Obviously, she was completely oblivious to the fact he looked like a monkey in his suit or perhaps she was just pretending to like it. It was his birthday after all.

'Happy birthday.' I muttered at him, my hands twisting nervously. What was I meant to do exactly? Bill put me out of my misery.

'My Liege, I do believe this has been a tiring couple of days for Sookie, could she perhaps sit?' Bill said, bowing to the Queen. Sophie-Anne smiled.

'Well of course! Now Bill, you have to tell me everything about Renard Parish. From what I gather it is some sort of a hell hole! First the Maenad, and then the witches! What's next?' Sophie-Anne exclaimed, giggling. Bill started small-talking with her and I let my shields down to see if there was anyone human at all on the premises.

_Shit, shit, shit, this is so fucked up. Oh my god, that chick is hot. And that one too… Where the fuck is Sook? She's supposed to be here, that's what Sam said…That fucking tuxedo is so tight…_

I almost gasped in surprise. I scanned the room very quickly and my pulsed quickened when I saw the person who's thoughts I'd just been listening to.

What in heaven's sake was Jason doing _here_?


	29. I'm Eating All Your Kings And Queens

**There, people, the new chapter! First time I actually have advance because I actually have the next one written. I'm just not sure about it but here's this one anyways. **

**I took some liberties here (you'll understand what I mean when you get to the Bubba part hahahah but I mean it was just so very tempting!) And I'm taking some more liberties in the next chapter so don't stake me just yet and bear with me :D **

**I love you all very much and I'll try and put some lemons in the next few chapters ! (yess, yess I already have lemons planned! hahahah) By the way would someone bother to explain why the hell this is referred to as lemons? how do lemons have anything to do with sex? LOL zesty? hahahahah anyways, I really hope you'll enjour this!**

**Please review :D! xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo (title song: Black Black Heart by David Usher, old but sooooo goooodd and the remix from the video is awesome!)**

I didn't even have time to try and understand why the hell my brother was here and why he wasn't yet being snacked on because there next to him stood Sam. Both of them were wearing tuxedos and they were both carrying platters. Since when was Sam doing catering for vampires? In New Orleans? I tried to keep a poker face and just stared at my feet, pointedly.

'Are you alright, Sookie?' Hadley asked. She took my hand in hers and she slipped me a piece of paper. I gazed up at her. What the hell was happening? I checked to make sure the vampires around us were to busy to notice and I unfolded the little scrap of paper. Just a few words had been scrawled on it in Hadley's childish handwriting.

_All will be fine._

I frowned at her questioningly but she suddenly spotted Jason and she pressed my hand. I swallowed hard and tried to pretend as if nothing was happening. I tucked the little scrap of paper between the cushion of my seat and the leg of the chair and turned my gaze towards Sophie-Anne. I shuddered in horror when I saw Andre. He was starring at me as if I was the last drop of water on earth and he a very thirsty man. I must have made a noise because Sophie-Anne's head turned to me and she saw my grimace.

'Oh Andre, stop staring at her like this. You'll get a chance to taste her but not today. Now just go open your fucking gifts so we can get to the orgy already…' Sophie-Anne hissed at him. Andre stood and went elsewhere to open his gifts. I had no idea what kind of a gift you gave to a vampire but I wasn't sure I wanted to know either. With Andre gone and Bill strolling away to do whatever, Sophie-Anne started chatting with me.

'Are you liking your room alright? And your clothes? I want you to be comfortable here. I know you don't want to be here at all, but I was never one to treat my guests badly.' She said, waving at a tall vampire woman who was truly dashing. 'That's Irina. We had some mind-blowing sex back in the fifties, but she now lives in Portugal, so I don't see her that often. I heard she took a human lover. A _man_.' She sneered the last word as if it was the most disgusting thing she could imagine. I turned my head to where she was pointing next and I almost gasped in surprise. Was that really…?

'Oh I see you've spotted them. That's Bubba. Some stupid morgue attendant turned him. He's a total spook.' Sophie-Anne muttered. 'He prefers kittens to humans. I don't know under who's fealty he now is, but he's too stupid to be dangerous. Don't call him Elvis. Makes him go nuts.'

'Oh my god!' I gasped. Dressed in a dazzling white suit stood the King of Rocknroll himself, Elvis un-dead. I stared at the woman he was speaking to and suddenly wondered how many of these Hollywood stars had actually stepped to the dark side.

'Is that…'

'That's Norma Jean. Or Norma. Or Jean. Don't ever call her Marilyn. She bloody hates it. I don't know why, I mean the woman had swag back in the days. I guess she just got sick of it. Oh and don't mention her hair colour. She's a natural brunette and doesn't want any of the peroxide bottle-blond shit.' Sophie-Anne warned me with an air of confidence. I must have looked pretty stunned because I didn't even react when she spoke again.

'Do you want something to eat or drink? I can ask the caterers to take care of it. Quinn is used to these kind of parties.' Sophie-Anne mused, lifting a hand to get someone's attention.

'Who's Quinn?' I managed to say with a good fifteen seconds delay.

'You don't know Quinn?' Hadley asked, stunned.

'Should I?'

'Well anyone who's been hanging out with the supes is bound to have heard of him.' A female vampire chirped next to us. She was a petite woman with a spiky hairdo of crow's wing black hair. She had a very soft face for a vamp and she was wearing a beautiful cocktail dress all in gold.

'I'm Gabrielle, by the way.' She had a vague accent and I guessed she must have been French with a name like that. 'And you must be Sookie! I've heard so much about you. You know you are as close as you can get to being a celebrity amongst certain circles?' She chirped. Sophie-Anne gave her a bored look and turned her attention to some other vampires who had come to chat with her.

'Ah really. Cool.' I muttered, not sure what she meant by certain circles. 'But who is that Quinn you were talking about? I've actually never heard of him.' I replied.

'He's like a celebrity amongst vamps and supes. He's a Weretiger, one of the last ones.' Gabrielle said, nodding her head knowingly. 'And he owns the E(E)E company. That's three Es' she added as if I were dimwitted or something. Sometimes it was quite infuriating how vampires supposed we were stupid because we didn't have fangs or drank blood for supper.

'What's E(E)E?' I asked.

'Is she for real?' Gabrielle asked Hadley. Hadley smiled and turned back to staring at Jason and Sam who were serving martini glasses to vampires. Martinis glasses which surely weren't cosmos, I thought, gloomily.

'E(E)E organizes all sorts of events, parties and celebrations for the Supes. You ought to know that if you're to be Sophie-Anne's pet.' Gabrielle mused, grabbing my hand. 'Come dance with me!' She chirped. Sophie-Anne hissed and Gabrielle let go of my hand immediately.

'Gabrielle, why don't you go play housewife with that charming husband of yours?' Sophie-Anne snarled, her brows furrowed.

'I'm sorry, my Queen, I didn't mean to overstep my rank. I just thought your human would like to dance.' Gabrielle said, bowing and retreating. What a peculiar number, I thought.

Suddenly, Sam was in front of me with a platter. I pretended like I didn't know him and he handed me a plate filled with delicacies. I thanked him and hoped that Sophie-Anne hadn't noticed my anxiety.

_We're here to help, Sookie. Don't worry, it's all going to work out…_Sam thought at me. I was thankful for him knowing what I could do because I felt jittery and scared. It was one thing for Eric to have to take me out of this mess but it was an entirely new pair of sleeves if Jason and Sam were implicated. What the hell were they doing here anyways?

_We're here because your Viking has some sort of a plan. Don't worry, it will all work out. _

That reassured me and I smiled at Sam to let him know I'd gotten that. So this was all part of Eric's plan. Suddenly, the room went very quiet. I turned my head towards the door and almost gasped in surprise.

Standing in the doorway, with a dazzling looking Pam at his arm was no other than my Viking. He looked absolutely striking in his black tuxedo. He scanned the room and spotted me. He winked at me very briefly and I had to hold myself back from actually jumping out of my seat and running to him. Pam looked at everything around her with an air of superiority. She was wearing a gorgeous gown in a burgundy satin with a slit on the leg that exposed her long legs every time she took a step on her six-inch heels. Everyone started hissing and muttering, clearly wondering why the oldest vampire in the whole of Louisiana hadn't arrived earlier.

'Eric Northman.' Sophie-Anne said when Eric and Pam finally stopped in front of us. Her guards had moved forward, ready to pounce if Eric tried anything. Which he was way too smart to do anyways. 'And your progeny, Pamela!' Sophie-Anne cooed, giving them both a dazzling smile which was so cold I almost expected to see icicles grow out of her now exposed fangs.

'Your Majesty.' Eric said, his cool voice sending shudders down my spine. He bowed slightly and so did Pam. 'Hadley.' Eric saluted, his face serious as he nodded at my cousin. His gaze then fell on Andre who had just popped out of thin air and was back in his seat, still dressed in his ridiculous suit. 'Andre.' Eric almost spat. Ah right, they hated each other. 'And Sookie.' Eric said, his voice warm when he said my name.

'Might I inquire, Your Majesty, as to why my telepath finds herself in your household?' Eric asked, diplomat. I looked at Pam and she gave me a knowing look.

_Sookie, we're putting silver chains on every door and window in the room. Backup is on its way._ Sam suddenly thought at me. I kept my eyes on Eric and bit my bottom lip not to smile at him.

'Northman, we had an accord that you had to bring her down to New Orleans once you were free of the curse. I got sick of waiting and her dear cousin went to retrieve her herself. You can use her once in a while of course, but she's mine. By the way, she tastes delicious.' Sophie-Anne added, viciously. I saw Pam's hand squeeze Eric's arm warningly and I felt his anger and rage through the bond. His jaw clenched and he breathed through his nose - even though breathing was all but necessary for vampires – before he spoke again.

'I see. Well we can discuss this later, now is time for celebrations, is it not?' Eric said, giving a grim look at Andre's pathetic figure.

'Why did you invite him here?' Andre hissed at Sophie-Anne. 'You know I despise him.'

Eric simply chuckled and Pam threw Andre a disgusted look.

'He is Sheriff of Area 5, Andre. And a subject of mine.' Sophie-Anne added, cunning as ever.

'Whatever, I hate him.' Andre hissed, not the least bothered by the fact Eric was standing right in front of him with Pam.

'How are you doing, Sookie?' Pam asked me, her eyebrows raised.

_Hopefully Compton made sure she could fend off if something goes wrong…_ Eric thought.

'I'm doing fine. Now that my life isn't at _stake_ anymore, I feel just great.' I said, sarcastically and insisting on the word stake. I hoped really hard that Eric would get the pun and the point. Sophie-Anne gave me a weird look and rolled her eyes. Eric simply frowned, knowingly. He looked mildly puzzled as to why I was telling him this. I slid my hand down my throat towards my décolleté and he blinked, understanding.

'We'll take good care of her, Mr Northman. Now why don't you go enjoy the party?' Sophie-Anne said to him, her Queen of Ice smile back in place.

'Thank you, your Majesty.' At that moment there was a loud commotion and screams and growls erupted all across the room. I didn't understand immediately but suddenly, I caught Jason's thoughts.

_Duck, Sookie! Duck now!_

I grabbed Hadley by her corsage and pulled her to the ground in a swift move. She yelped in surprise and we were on the floor when chaos erupted. There were guns being fired and I could just tell the bullets were silver from the loud hissing and painful yelps vampires all around the room emitted. Hadley tried to crawl to Sophie-Anne to see if she was alright but neither her nor Andre were anywhere to be seen. Suddenly, the noise stopped and everyone gasped in surprise.

In the middle of the room, a pair of pistols in his hands stood Arthur McAlister, a wide grin on his face.

'Man' he said. 'I haven't had that much fun since the Saint-Barthelemy Massacre!' He chuckled. 'Now if you would all just stay calm, all the doors and windows are barred. Silver. Remain calm and this shall go smoothly.' McAlister said, as vampires all around the room stood slowly, some clutching various injuries. I remained on the floor and crawled towards the wall. I couldn't see Eric anywhere nor Jason or Sam but I was pretty sure they were alright.

'What the hell is going on, Magister!' Sophie-Anne yelled from across the room where Andre and her had retreated. Andre was clutching his arm where dark red blood oozed from a silver bullet wound. Sophie-Anne looked safe and sound but her tiara had gone and she looked mighty pissed. 'How dare you disrupt my celebrations and shoot at my guests!'

'Madam' the Magister said, bowing slightly to her. With the snap of his fingers, he had five of his guards on her and before she could say anything, they had restrained Andre and silvered her wrists. She yelled in pain and swore.

'Oh and don't even try and help this poor excuse of a vampire. She has disgraced our race and doesn't even deserve a trial for her many offences. But seeing as we are all gathered here, why not give it a try?' McAlister said, his gaze falling on me. I shuddered and pulled myself up. Many vampires started complaining and yelling and I didn't hear the man sneak up behind me until his arms encircled my waist and mouth. I yelled in surprise and tried to shake myself out of his hold but the man – who's skin was way too warm to be vampire – murmured in my ear.

'I'm Quinn, don't worry, I won't hurt you, Sookie. Your brother and friend are safe. They left the room once they were done silvering all the doors. They're making sure no human lets the vampires go.' He said. He let go of my mouth and waist and I spun around to stare at him, dumbfounded. He was very tall and quite beautiful in a peculiar way. He had very short dark brown hair, military cropped and a pair of dazzling almost purple eyes. He was easily a good inch taller than Eric and that was quite something in itself since Eric was probably the tallest man I'd ever met, until Quinn that is. Quinn had strong muscles and his skin had a dark tan to it. His face was very masculine and his tuxedo suited him very well. I stepped back, my hand at my corsage, trying to snatch out my stake but then I realized it wouldn't do much good. Gabrielle had mentioned him being a Weretiger. I could definitely picture him morphing into a tiger with this feline air he had in the way he smiled at me.

'How do you know my name?' I asked, still suspicious. I'd had enough of backstabbing for a life-time and wasn't going to trust him just because he knew my name and the fact Jason was my brother.

'Because Northman told me who you were and what you looked like. I must admit his saying you were beautiful was an understatement. You are truly dazzling.' Quinn said, a knowing smile on his face.

I glared at him and then realized how impolite it was for me to not answer.

'Thank you' I said, leaving my stake in my corsage as I looked around the room. The commotion was still at its peak but the Magister's soldiers seemed to control it very well. No one was paying any attention to us.

'Why are you helping Eric? What is happening anyways?' I asked him as he pulled me towards the entrance, keeping us far from any vampire.

'Let's just say Eric just gave the Magister a very good occasion to pounce. The Magister didn't take too well Sophie-Anne's minions murdering humans at Fangtasia and Eric has proof of those murders so the Magister has enough evidence to bring the Queen to trial.' Quinn swiftly explained.

'And you in all this? Aren't you a caterer? And why are Jason and Sam here?' I asked, searching for Eric in the mass of vampires who were chatting with excitement.

'We needed humans to handle the silver. My crew wearing leather gloves wouldn't have been very subtle and seeing as most are werewolves, it would have been a must. Shifters aren't affected by it like weres and Vampires are. And Northman thought you'd be reassured in seeing them. He says you can read minds and you'd probably pick theirs out of the lot.' Quinn said. 'Can you really read minds?' He asked, frowning in concentration at me.

_Why are all the pretty chicks always taken? She is gorgeous… Wish I could…_

'Yes. I can read minds.' I said, pulling my arm out of his hold. ' And yes, I am taken, so if you'd please…' I said, meaningfully. It wasn't that the man wasn't gorgeous, but I had a boyfriend, who happened to be extremely jealous. And extremely gorgeous too.

'Oh. That's cool. Now Northman told me to bring you to safety.' Quinn said, taking my arm once more to pull me towards the door.

'No way. I'm staying.' I said.

'We can't exactly leave, the doors are all sealed with silver. I meant I have to take you to safety as in protect you.' Quinn countered, his gaze lingering on my breasts. I raised my eyebrows at him. He was really getting on my nerves. The man was about as subtle as an elephant in a China store.

'Well?' I asked, snapping him out of his conversation with my boobs.

'Well I have to keep you safe. You do know I'm a were? I will morph if I need to. But if that happens, I suggest you move very far. I tend to get quite… _big_, when I'm in my other form.' Quinn added, winking at me. I rolled my eyes exasperated. He was very sweet and all but Jesus was the man direct.

'Hum, okay? But what's going to happen?' I asked, my back pressed on a column.

'A trial. A real vampire trial. It's quite something really.' Quinn replied, gazing at the front of the room where the Magister now stood with Sophie-Anne and Andre silvered to their seats.

I was going to ask for more information but suddenly, the Magister's voice erupted, loud and dominant over the noise of the room.

'Fellow Vampires, we are here assembled today for the trial of Sophie-Anne Leclercq, Queen of Louisiana on the accounts of illegal sealing and dealing of the sacred blood, massacre of humans on public premises, blood-offense and feeding from a pledged human, abuse of power in her function, turning of a human against her expressed will and debt not paid to the IRS, which will deal with you after we're done here.' The Magister added, smirking at Sophie-Anne. He was quite an ugly sight, but the man was really having fun.

I realized the pledged human must have been me, since in the eyes of the vampire hierarchy, I was probably as close to Eric as one could get.

'How dare you insult me in such a way! I am the Queen, you darn ugly prick!' Sophie-Anne spat at him, wincing in pain as one of the Magister's minions tightened her silver chains.

The Magister ignored Sophie-Anne's yells and protests and he spoke once more.

'Will Mr William Compton, Procurer of the Queen, and Mr Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5 of the state of Louisiana, please step forward and bear witness to these accusations?' The Magister said. Eric stepped out of the crowd and moved towards the magister, kneeling in front of him in respect. Bill whom I hadn't seen for quite a while appeared in the opposite corner and did the same.

The vampires in the room had gone very quiet the moment the accounts had been stated by the Magister. They sat down in chairs and sofas that were scattered around the room and listened with great interest at what was happening in the front.

'I would also call the human Sookie Stackhouse as she is a crucial witness in this affair. I do know it is not in our customs to settle such matters with human witnesses, but since there has been a blood offense and she was victim of that offense, I do believe we ought to hear her out.' The Magister said, looking straight at me. Many heads turned in my direction and I must have blushed as red as my dress because I heard a few fangs click in place. Eric's head snapped in my direction and he gave me a puzzling look. I walked towards the front, Quinn in my track, wondering what exactly they expected me to do.

'Were, you may rest. We will take it from here.' The Magister said to Quinn, gesturing for him to take a seat or go to hell. For all I knew, the Magister didn't give a horse's ass what Quinn did or didn't do as long as he didn't interfere.

Of course, as clumsy as I sometimes get, it is precisely as I was about to reach the front that I tripped on a discarded shawl and ended up sprawled on the floor, my hand landing on a martini glass which exploded, cutting my hand badly. I yelped in pain and turned red once more from the humiliation but then I realized no one was laughing or mocking me. I looked up and almost whimpered in terror: all around the room the vampires' fangs clicked in place, eyeing the heavy blood flow from my wrist and hand.

'Oh _shit_.' I whispered.


	30. My Heart Has Learned To Kill

**Hello, hello, hello! First of all, on your comments about the blood spilling in front of hungry vamps YES it is a slight Twilight clin d'oeil hahaha **

**Because as good as the books were, (I insist on the past tense here because the moment twelve years old started swooning over Robert Pathetic, I kind of got sick of it and turned to more mature and intelligent novels... CH, thank you so much!) the movies just suck and I would love to see the True Blood Series kick their butts :D hahahaha which they do anyways but wouldn't it be hilarious if they did a parody of some tacky scenes from the movies?**

**Second of all, QUINN IS IN THE HOUSE. He might be different than described in the books, cause most honestly I didn't feel like looking it up, and also, the way I remember Charlaine Harris describing him, he made me think of Mr Clean...The whole bald thing... shiny... weird? So, thank you very much but my Quinn IS supposed to look hot and detergent and dishwashing soap don't exactly do it for me hahahah **

**Oh and Quinn is just necessary if you want some trouble with Eric, isn't he... so yeah, there he is in all his feline glory (I actually hate the character personally, never liked him and probably never will with all his 'Babe' Quinnshit... Billshit, Quinnshit haha I am freaking hilarious today (read that as very tired and prone to make extremely stupid jokes :P!)**

**Also, one of you was actually nice enough to send me the actual definition of LEMONS and it goes like this on Wiki for those of you who were wondering like me :):**

**'_Lemon and lime__Lemon features explicit sex stories, and they sometimes fall under the broader PWP distinction (see above). The name derives from a term which comes from a Japanese slang term for "sexy" that itself derives from an early pornographic anime series called Cream Lemon. The term lime denotes a story that has sexual themes but is not necessarily explicit. Authors may call their stories "citrusy", indicating that their story is a lemon or lime to varying degrees._' (WIKIPEDIA OWNS THAT LOL)**

**So yeah, now we're all a lot smarter :) next time you drink lemonade, think about it twice ;) WINK WINK... funny that Charlaine Harris' fairies die when in contact with lemon or lime... No Sex for Ben hahahahaha (btw that is a great song by The Rapture from the GTA Soundtrack :D) Hell fairies would all die if they read some of our fanfics hahhaa (shut up brain :)!)**

**Now on to serious things, this chapter is very long... I think it's my longest and I hope you enjoy it. I re-read and re-read and I really hope it comes out neatly. I hope you enjoy it! Title for this one if from the song Love Is All by Tallest Man On Earth. Give it a try, it's great :)**

**Please, pretty please with a huge freaking bow on top, review :) I love my reviews, I crave them :) they're almost as good as a can of Coke (hahahah nothing beats COKE :)!)**

**Love you all! Thanks for sticking with me so long! I'll try and not disappoint you :P**

Before I knew it, I had at least half a dozen hungry vampires on me trying to snatch my arm out of its socket to drink from me. A few of them aimed for my neck so that everyone could have their turn at snacking. I cried in pain when a pair of fangs ripped the skin at my wrist.

'ERIC!' I yelled, curling into a little ball, trying desperately to yank them off me. But they all were a lot stronger than me and I felt as powerless as a mice fighting a lion. One of them bit my arm right below the elbow and I cried out in pain. The noise was ear-shattering and I suddenly heard a big 'pop' sound and the next thing I knew, there was a seven or eight foot tiger ripping and clawing at the vampires.

'Let me go you bastard!' I hissed at a black-haired vampire who was trying to drag me away from the commotion to snack on me all on his own. With my valid arm, I grabbed the stake in my décolleté and as he bent down to bite me, I plunged it into his chest, missing his heart by a mere inch. He growled in anger and tried to yank the stake out. I did it for him to try once more to kill that disgusting bastard and I managed to yank out my stake before he recovered enough to jump on me again. He was about to do so but a white hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed.

'Don't you even think about it, you little piece of shit! Unless you want to be tried like that redhead bitch!' the Viking's voice boomed. The vampire snarled and was about to do something utterly stupid since I had a stake and Eric kept him still but Eric simply threw him back a good thirty feet and he crashed disgracefully on a bench.

'Sookie, are you alright?' Eric's cool voice said in my ear. I felt myself being pulled off the ground and carried towards the front.

'You are all savages! Can't you all behave properly like civilized creatures? You look like a pack of werewolves for God's sake!' McAlister hissed loudly, causing all the vampires around the room to frown in displeasure. The weres who were catering all growled at the insult but the tiger roared and they relaxed. The tiger was following Eric and I and I realized the popping noise I'd heard was Quinn morphing. He was quite big and beautiful in his animal form and his eyes looked intelligent. The white fur on his chest was bloodied and I wondered if he'd killed any of the vampires that had jumped on me.

'Thank you, Eric.' I whispered to him, my head cuddled at the crook of his neck as he gently dropped me on a red sofa near McAlister. He then glanced at McAlister who nodded at him and continued scolding at the vampires. I felt suddenly very dizzy and realised I'd lost quite a lot of blood. Eric bit his wrist and put some of his blood on my biggest wounds to help them close faster. He then brought his bloodied wrist to my lips but I shrugged my head. I'd seen enough blood for now and I'd recover the old fashioned way. I already felt a lot better with his blood to close my wounds, I didn't exactly need to drink it too. Eric then stood back and remained right next to me. Quinn, still in tiger form curled at my feet and started purring.

_If you can hear this, I'm sorry I didn't react faster. They're mighty quick those fucking vamps…_ He thought at me, his eyes closing lazily. I patted him on the head, unsure if that was something I could do but then again you don't get to pat tigers who are in fact men who are in fact weretigers everyday.

_You're quite the hotty, you know that? I wish I had a babe like you…I could keep you warm at night…_Quinn thought, purring loudly. I turned red and looked at Eric meaningfully. Eric might not have been able to read minds but I was sure he caught that loud purr and he threw a warning glance at Quinn who's whiskers twitched. His tail curled around my ankle and I giggled because it was quite tickly. McAlister was now done scolding at his vampires and he then proceeded with the trial.

'Now, as I said before this commotion, Miss Stackhouse here' He said, giving me a knowing look, 'has been witness to many of Queen Sophie-Anne's misbehaviour and was victim to her abuse. Now Miss Stackhouse are you willing to bring forth your testimony in front of the vampires of Louisiana today?' he asked me, quite formally.

'Hum… Yeah, I guess?' I replied, my voice unsure. Eric's hand squeezed my shoulder gently, approvingly.

'We will be needing you to swear a blood oath on this…' McAlister said, pulling out of his robe a very scary looking dagger. It's handle was crafted and detailed and I saw a beautiful diamond encrusted with tiny rubies all around it on the sheath. I must have paled because McAlister's ugly face contorted in a smirk.

'We'll only be needing a tiny drop, Miss Stackhouse. It's part of the ceremonial. Mr Compton and Mr Northman too will have to spare a drop…' He added, winking at me. I held out my hand and McAlister pulled my to my feet, grunting an order to a man dressed in a robe next to him. The man brought forth a big cup which looked somehow like the chalice at Church. It was made of silver and I noticed both vampires had on leather gloves to handle it. McAlister's loud voice echoed off the walls as he pronounced the ceremonial words in a language which I didn't understand but suspected was Latin before he pricked my index finger and pressed it over the cup. A tiny drop of my blood lazily rolled off the tip of my finger and fell into the cup. McAlister's eyes followed it all the way down and he held my hand, his nostrils twitching in delight.

'I now understand a bit better the tumult earlier. You do smell rather delicious. One eight fairy, if I remember correctly?' He whispered to me. He stared at my bloodied finger meaningfully and turned to Eric.

'Allow me?' He asked. Eric frowned but nodded and McAlister turned to me, waiting for my approval. I shot him a questioning look and then remembered just how much vampires loved to tend for bleeding wounds. As much as the gesture disgusted me profoundly, it was only polite and respectful of me to let such an important vampire as him handle my pricked index. He brought it to his lips and sucked on it, cooing in delight. I grimaced and I saw Quinn snarl. I frowned at him. He curled back down in a big furry ball and resumed pouting – at least that's what he looked like with his big golden eyes closing slightly and his head pressed on his front paws.

When McAlister finally released my finger, he growled in pleasure and turned his gaze to me.

'My dear, if you ever decide to leave Mr Northman and he releases you, I'd gladly take you under my wing. By Dracula, you are surely the most delicious blood I've had in centuries.' He whispered to me. I almost giggled at the Dracula reference and suddenly wondered if he too, existed.

'Now Mr Northman and Mr Compton, if you'd please?' McAlister said, holding the dagger up. Eric pricked his own finger and a dark crimson and rich blood oozed out of the tiny cut, falling slowly towards the cup. I was quite surprised when it seared and made a little smoke the moment it touched the silver. Bill did the same and the cup was then brought to Sophie-Anne's silvered hand.

'Now, yours.' McAlister said to her, any trace of empathy gone from his voice. He dragged the ceremonial knife on her palm and waited for a few drops to have mingled with Eric's, Bill's and mine before he turned back to his assistant. He then chanted a few words as the whole crowd stood utterly silent.

'Now that the ceremonial bullshit is over, we'll start.' Eric whispered to me, cradling me to his knees on the little couch where he'd just joined Bill. Bill grabbed my hand and squeezed it, earning himself a low growl from Eric. I slapped Eric's arm and glared at him.

'Please.' I whispered to him. Bill threw Eric an annoyed look and turned his attention back to McAlister.

'As we stated earlier, before you all behaved like a troop of uneducated newborns, Sophie-Anne Leclercq, Queen of Louisiana since 1921 and vampire since the year 1602, is tried here today for many grave offenses she has done. As the representative of the Authority here in the States of America…' McAlister started. His second nudged him in the ribs and whispered something to him. 'In the _United_ States of America' McAlister corrected himself, 'I will today charge her for high treason against her people and her race. Mr Northman here has proof of Ms. Leclercq's massacre of humans on the premises of his bar in front of human and vampire witnesses. We shall watch later that evidence. Mr Northman also happens to be the vampire towards whom Ms Leclercq has committed a blood-offense by kidnapping and feeding from his pledged human, Ms Stackhouse. Mr Compton has gathered evidence against the Queen on behalf of the authority regarding the Queen's disgusting and depraved trading of her own sacred blood for monetary gains. And of course, both have endured the Queen's abuse in the exercise of her power. Do you have anything to say for your defence, my dear?' Arthur McAlister hissed at Sophie-Anne who was downright furious, her gaze drilling holes into Bill and Eric's heads.

'That bastard Northman sold the blood. Shouldn't he be tried for that? And that ridiculous Compton isn't really much better, if you ask me!' She spat, blood dripping from her nose. I'd never seen a vampire having the bleeds without being sleep-deprived but then I realized it probably was from the silver chains that bound her from neck to toes.

'Mr Northman, is that true?' Arthur asked, utterly bored by Sophie-Anne's attempts at dragging Eric down with her.

'I sold it, it is true, because she left me no choice. I was still loyal to her at that time, but she set me up with the previous Magister and caused my progeny, Pamela, to be tortured for days.' Eric said, his voice trembling with rage. 'And she took my blood-pledged and fed from her in retribution, I believe.' Eric added, clutching me to his chest possessively.

'Is it true, Miss Stackhouse that you are pledged to Mr Northman?' McAlister said, looking at me briefly.

'Yes.' I said, my voice loud and clear. I didn't exactly grasp what this meant, but I knew it as safer for both Eric and I if we agreed here. I'd get my chance to discuss this later with him.

'And is it also true the Queen fed from you?'

'Briefly, yesterday, yes.' I said, my fingers squeezing Eric's.

'As for the sealing of the blood, my dear' McAlister said, his gaze returning to Sophie-Anne, 'I believe Mr Northman was in no position to argue with you. His progeny endured torture for four days, I believe, at the hands of the previous Magister, who has surprisingly disappeared, because of your blood-dealing. I hereby demand you pay a compensation to said progeny, Pamela Swinfort de Belfort, in the form of her choice.' McAlister said, grinning slightly. Pam stood from the first row and walked towards us, kneeling in front of the Magister, a smirk on her face.

'Magister, I must say I'm not exactly interested in any of the Queen's humans or vampires, but I've always been a fan of her jewellery collection…' Pam said, causing a few female vampires to snicker in approval in the crowd.

'Ms Leclercq, you shall surrender all your jewellery to Miss Pamela here present.' McAlister said, sanctimonious.

'Is that even legal?' I whispered at Eric, a small grin on my lips. Eric rolled his eyes at Pam and brushed his lips to my temple.

'Pam will be Pam.' Eric whispered to me and I heard pride and amusement in his voice.

'I will not give that bitch anything at all.' Sophie-Anne hissed. The Magister's man pulled on her chains and she winced in pain.

'Now, for the graver offenses, the blood-offense and feeding off a pledged human, the usual punishment is a year in a coffin chained with silver. However, since the human has been returned in one piece to its rightfully pledged, this sentence may be removed due to others graver sentences which will be carried for the other crimes you have committed. Do you agree, Mr Northman?'

'Yes.' Eric said, serious.

'Now where was I…' McAlister thought. 'Ah, yes! The other offenses. The usual punishment for blood-dealing is the removal of the fangs of the offender and a couple of years in a coffin... I can't seem to remember how many so I'll just say ten? We shall proceed immediately with the removal of your fangs unless someone has anything to say in the defendant's favour?'

'I do!' Hadley's voice echoed in the silence. McAlister glared at her, his eyes questioning. Sophie-Anne tried to move in her chains and hissed in pain.

'Hadley, stay out of this.' Sophie-Anne ordered her, fear in her voice. I turned to look at the Queen and was genuinely surprise to see a lot of love for Hadley in her eyes.

'I can't, I'm sorry. I can't watch them hurt you like this…' Hadley said, walking towards the stage, bloody tears rolling down her cheeks.

'Who are you?' McAlister asked her. 'You look awfully young, my dear, to dare and speak in the name of a criminal such as Ms Leclercq…'

'I'm Hadley Stackhouse, Sookie's cousin and Sophie-Anne's progeny. She turned me a week ago.' Hadley said, taking a pristine white handkerchief a pretty blonde vampire was offering her. She dabbed her bloodied eyes and kneeled in front of the Magister.

'I beg of you to differ the punishment. Sophie-Anne never meant harm to anyone!' Hadley whispered, her face turned towards the Magister.

'Yet she caused grave offenses to her race, my dear. Please stay out of this, unless you have proof to bring forth to this court?' Arthur McAlister said, sombrely.

'I don't.' Hadley whispered, heavy blood tears rolling down her cheeks and onto her dress, splattering it with crimson blotches.

'Then bring forth the pincers.' Arthur said, turning to his second. Sophie-Anne yelped and closed her mouth forcefully, in vain. I closed my eyes and blocked my ears as two of the vampires proceeded to pluck her fangs out and then dropped them in the cup with the mingled blood as Sophie-Anne cried in anger and pain. Her lips were bloodied and she looked nothing like the elegant lady she'd been a mere hour before.

'This is barbaric.' I hissed in Eric's ear.

'This is what we _are_, Sookie. Violent and barbaric.' Eric replied. His lips then planted tiny kisses near my ear, his entire body language begging to differ with his words.

'Now we shall discuss the mass murder of humans on Mr Northman's premises. Have you brought the tapes, Mr Northman?' Arthur said, cocking an eyebrow at Eric. Eric nodded at Pam who retrieved two tapes from her purse and handed them to the Magister's second. McAlister and a few vampires exited the room briefly to watch the tapes and everyone in the crowd started whispering varied opinions. Many vampires glanced at Eric and I and at Bill. Quinn was looking quite bored so I bent down to speak to him.

'Why don't you morph back?' I whispered.

_Unless you want to see me strutting my birthday suit, I think this will have to do for now…_he thought at me, purring in contempt as I scratched him behind the ears.

'Ah right… your clothes…Your fur is so soft' I said.

'Are you okay, Sookie?' Eric asked me, kissing me below the ear, intent on taking my attention away from the tiger.

'Yes, now I am.' I said, turning my gaze to him.

'I am sorry she fed from you…' Eric said, kissing the wrist where Sophie-Anne had bitten me.

'It's not your fault, don't worry. We'll have a lot to discuss later…' I told him as the Magister re-entered the room with his followers.

The trial then resumed.

'Now, the massacre was totally uncalled for and might have endangered Miss Flanaghan attempts at getting the Congress to ratify the Vampire Rights Amendment. We cannot tolerate such acts of violence. As feeding from humans isn't illegal as long as the humans consent but is not permitted in public places, we must apply sever punishment in this case. With the Authority that has been conferred to me, I hereby declare Sophie-Anne Leclercq stripped of her titles of Queen and sentenced to five years in a coffin chained with silver. If we add those years to the ones that you already had accumulated, I think that brings us to twenty.' The Magister smirked.

Andre hissed at that the first noise I'd heard him utter since the beginning of the trial and McAlister turned to look at him, one of his scarred eyebrows cocked.

'Please do explain how five and ten make twenty.' Andre growled, enraged.

'I'm the Magister, you bloody nit. If I say five and ten make twenty, it does!' The Magister roared. 'Let's just say the five extra years are a little bonus.'

'A bonus?' Sophie-Anne spat, blood dripping down her lips from the gaping wounds her removed fangs had left in her mouth. 'A bonus?' She repeated, as enraged as Andre.

'Because you annoy me.' The Magister said, winking at me. Andre spat and cursed in another language, most probably French, I thought. The Magister glared at him and growled before he spoke.

'As for you, you little sack of shit, you shall follow your master. The apple never does fall far from the tree and you truly have always been a tremendous pain in the ass for the past two centuries, dear Andre.' McAlister said.

'I didn't do anything! Why should I follow in _her_ footsteps?' Andre growled, infuriated, spitting at Sophie-Anne. Sophie-Anne didn't even budge as she was quite stunned. Her gaze caught Hadley's and I saw bloody tears roll down both their cheeks.

'Because I feel like it, you pest.' McAlister replied, chuckling. 'I represent the Authority. I get to decide.' He added, winking at me. I shuddered and pressed myself closer to Eric. 'I shall add that this punishment will not save you from the IRS, Miss Leclercq, as they will be allowed to take you in and imprison you for your debts when your coffin sentence comes to an end. That is if they even recognize you…' McAlister concluded.

'Magister, might I ask a question?' Eric suddenly said, standing up to address the Magister.

'Yes, Mr Northman?' McAlister said, turning to us.

'What of the inheritance of the states of Mississippi and Louisiana? If Andre cannot take Sophie-Anne's suite, who will?' Eric asked.

_Surely he realizes we can't have Felipe taking over… With Nevada and Texas already in his hold he can't have his hand on more southern states…_Eric thought. I stared at him, surprised yet again by the vampire politics. I hadn't met Felipe de Castro but I already disliked him. He sounded greedy and dangerous and if Eric disliked him, he surely had good reasons to.

'We shall see about that in Rhodes for the gathering, Mr Northman. You will be in Rhodes, won't you?' the Magister said, cocking a questioning eyebrow at Eric.

'Yes.' Eric replied, serious.

'Why don't you bring Compton and your human too. The more the merrier they say!' The magister said very low for Eric's ears only. I wouldn't have heard had I not been sitting so close.

Eric didn't answer and simply nodded, displeased. I would have to question him later about that. The Magister then turned to the crowd.

'You are all dismissed for now' He said to the vampires.

Jason and Sam and other humans suddenly yanked the doors open and as the vampires exited the room, McAlister's man carried Sophie-Anne and Andre out. Eric pulled me to my feet and he said a few words at Pam. She slid out of the now empty ballroom and came back with some men clothes she gave Quinn. Bill stood by Hadley's side, consoling her. I was a bit stunned and wondered what was going to happen now. I turned to Eric and hugged him tight, enjoying his proximity.

'What do we do now?' I asked, fondling with the bloodied material of my dress.

'Now we go home. I have some problems to solve there…' Eric replied, sombrely, planting a kiss on my head. He then picked me up bridal-style and we stormed out of the palace, Pam on our heels.

'What about Hadley? And my brother? And Sam?' I asked, suddenly remembering they'd been here in the first place.

'Bill will take care of Hadley…As for your brother and Sam…' Eric started and suddenly the air was wiped out of me as Jason literally ripped me out of Eric's arms to hug me.

'SOOK!' He yelped, excited and happy.

'Jesus, Jason, don't strangle me!' I said, kissing his cheek.

'This was so much fun! We totally kicked their asses out here!' Jason exclaimed. He had a shotgun on his back and he looked almost as thrilled as when he'd fired the paint gun at Steve Newlin back in Dallas. He held out his hand to Eric, oblivious to the fact vampires never shook hands but Eric still held his out and gave it a quick squeeze.

'You did a fine job, human.' Eric said, nodding at Jason and then at Sam who had approached us.

'Sam! What are you doing here?' I asked, glad to see both him and Jason were safe and sound.

'Eric asked our help. And Quinn was missing some humans for the catering so we thought we'd enlist…' Sam said, a smile on his face. 'I'm glad you're alright, Sookie.' Sam said, hugging me tightly.

'Thank you.' I said, planting a kiss on his cheek. Jason was already all over Pam whom he obviously found attractive (as he did any woman) and he was flirting with her. Eric watched him amused and then noticed I was quite tired and strained. My wrist still hurt from where I'd been bitten and I was quite hungry. He picked me back up and kissed my forehead once more.

'We'll be returning to Shreveport, now. You'll have all the time in the world to fill her in on everything later.' Eric said to Sam and Jason who looked extremely happy for some reason I was soon going to find out.

Eric and Pam headed towards a shining silver sports car and I cocked a questioning eyebrow at Eric.

'Where's your Corvette?' I wondered. I'd seen that car in his garage but he'd said it was too flashy for Louisiana and he rarely took it out.

'Gave it to your brother… In retribution for getting his truck destroyed…' Eric said, puzzling me even more.

'His truck? Wait a minute you gave your car to my brother?' I exclaimed, dumbfounded.

'He liked it. Now hush and relax. I'll explain everything later.' Eric

The moment Eric dropped me on the back seat, I curled into a little ball under the big afghan he'd draped over me and fell fast asleep, only to wake up when the car descended in Eric's underground garage. Pam was telling Eric about the last episode of Buffy she'd watched and how ridiculous that bottle blond vampire was. Eric was disagreeing and I couldn't help but giggle at how trivial their conversation was. Eric looked at me in the rear view mirror and winked at me. He carried me all the way upstairs, refusing to let me down even in the elevator and when we arrived at his penthouse door, he kicked the door opened and barged in towards his bathroom where he proceeded to remove our clothes.

'What about Pam?' I asked as he ripped the remains of my beautiful dress off.

'You want her to join us?' Eric asked, puzzled. I slapped his arm playfully and he slid me to the ground, leaving me only with my panties on. 'She'll get herself to her place, don't worry.' He said. He got the water running in his enormous bathtub where he cuddled me to his chest when it was filled.

'You have to tell me everything.' I said, relaxing against his chest as he played with my hair.

'I really, _really _want to make love to you so I'll try to make this short if you don't mind?' Eric whispered in my ear, causing a delightful warmth to spread under my skin. I turned my head and gazed at him, a slow smile spreading on my lips.

'Make it quick than.' I replied, nibbling on his bottom lip. He growled softly.

'Unless you want me to skip to the end already, you'll have to let me concentrate, love.' Eric said before kissing me again. 'Well first of all I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you after we made love in my office, which we will do again' he added, amused. 'But I was taken with Felipe de Castro and fucking Victor Madden as Pam and Bill told you. They're an entirely different problem and we'll discuss them later. I found out you'd been kidnapped when I got your text and I flew to your house. Your brother was already there snooping around doing God knows what and I was mighty pissed so I kind of destroyed his truck.'

'Oh my god, Eric!' I giggled. 'How? Why?'

'Oh I merely smashed it against a tree. Whilst he wasn't in it of course. I did him a favour if you want my opinion. That truck was fucking ugly. As to why, I think you know how infuriating your brother gets when he panics…' Eric replied. Yes, I knew all too well how dimwitted my brother sometimes was.

'I bet he doesn't really mind you smashing his truck with the Corvette you gave him. But I still think you're insane for giving him your car. I mean it was your car!'

'Yeah, well I was getting sick of the Corvettes anyways.'

'Eric I can't let you give a car to my brother!' I exclaimed, turning to look at him.

'Well I know you won't let me spoil you because you're a proud little hen, so I might as well help your family and friends if I can…' He said, his thumb on my bottom lip.

'You're right. I wouldn't want you to spoil me. I've always taken care of myself and you've already taken care of my house. Which I'm very grateful for, by the way.'

'I'm sure you can show me just how grateful you are later…' he said huskily, his hand sliding down my throat to cup my breasts.

'Hey, hey, hey, you're not done telling me!' I moaned.

'You're right, Miss Stackhouse. So Jason panicked cause he didn't know why I was looking for you, I smashed his ugly truck and then he panicked some more and yelled at me that I was completely insane and I then told him you'd been kidnapped by your cousin. I then called Pam and we arranged for the Magister to come. I contacted Quinn and asked who was handling the even at the Queen's place and arranged some stuff with him and both your brother and the shifter to go to and then you know the rest…'

'What did the Magister mean when he spoke about Rhodes? What's happening there?' I asked, curious. The warm water felt incredible on my skin and it sloshed lazily on my chest as Eric played with my hair. 'And why does he want me and Bill to got?'

Eric tensed.

'You heard… Of course.' He stated. Through the bond I could feel his frustration but I couldn't tell if it was directed at me.

'Are you pissed at me?' I asked, kneeling in the water in front of him.

'No, of course not. Why would I be?' He said, swiftly, his gaze still very thoughtful.

'You look worried, what is it?' I asked, growing more and more restless. I didn't like it one bit when Eric kept things from me because trouble always had a way of finding me.

'Rhodes, Victor, Felipe, the Magister, Andre and Sophie-Anne, if only you could understand Sookie, this is so messed up and complicated…Vampire politics are always the same. They've always been the same and I fear they will always be the same too: messed up, bloody, complicated and barbaric.' Eric said, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the edge of the tub.

'If you'd just tell me maybe I could help?' I offered, caressing his chest softly.

'Shit. I wished this evening to be peaceful but you are curious aren't you…' He scolded, a slight frown on his face.

'I am. When it concerns you.'

'Seems fair for me to tell you since it concerns you too…' Eric said, suddenly sombre.

'How so?'

'Where to start… Felipe de Castro has been Kind of Nevada for a couple of decades now and he got Texas not so long ago through some twisted politics of his. I've known him ever since I first traveled to the Americas four centuries ago. We were on the same ship and he joined the Spanish conquerors. He got rich killing the natives and stealing their gold and then he stayed and caused trouble and riots and bloodshed for the next three centuries down in what is now Mexico, California, Texas, New Mexico and so on. He considers me a friend, but I know better. I don't trust him, never have and never will. Whilst he stayed here, I returned to Europe where I joined Godric. Since that time, Felipe turned his butt-boy, Victor Madden whom he met in the late 1700s I believe. Victor is ever more ruthless than Felipe. They both crave power and do all they can to obtain it. The reason they came to meet up with me is that they are intent on taking over Louisiana and Mississippi and then maybe the other southern states…' Eric said. I had remained quite throughout his entire explanation. I urged him on because I wanted to know where exactly did all this start concerning me.

'Now they would like me to remain sheriff of Area 5 and they wanted to make sure they had my support in their affairs. I don't approve of that but seeing as there isn't anyone yet who's laid claim on both the states and Andre who would have rightfully been the next in line is, thankfully, chained in silver for the next twenty years, we are in deep shit. Felipe is bad, however charming you might find him if you ever meet him, something I'm intent on not letting happen, never trust him. He's always got a hidden agenda and he cares only about himself and his profit. As for Victor, don't even look at him. He's a fucking snake and he hates me because he knows Felipe wanted me to be his second back in the days.'

'Felipe wanted you to be his associate?' I asked, surprised.

'Yes. As I told you, the man treats me as a friend. Now where you come in all this is that Felipe has a liking for special humans…' Eric said. He needn't say more, I knew all too well what this meant.

'You think he'd brave the Magister to take me? Just for my telepathy?' I asked, puzzled.

'For your blood mostly. Let's just say you tripping and cutting yourself in front of half the vampires of Louisiana wasn't the smartest thing to do. Very few people knew you were different apart from your telepathy, but my guess is now most of the American vampires courts have heard of it…And that is really, really not good at all.' Eric said, pissed. His jaw was clenched and I suddenly felt very stupid.

'I'm sorry…' I muttered, pulling away from him. I sat at the opposite end of the tub and turned my head to stare at a candle that burnt slowly.

'Sookie, it wasn't your fault but it still has caused some tumult… Pledged to me or not…' He started to say but I interrupted him.

'What does that mean exactly? We're not like married or anything right?' I said, increasingly nervous.

'Not exactly. We haven't gone through the usual ritual but I want people to keep on believing we have…' Eric replied.

'So this means?'

'We are blood-bonded, pledged by the blood, but not by vampire laws. Seeing as the previous Magister disappeared, I've made it known to the current Magister that the previous one supervised the ritual pledging between us and Bill supported me as witness, even though it pissed the hell out of him to do so. He knows it's for your own good anyways. He's not fit to protect you with no title and no power.' Eric said. I was increasingly puzzled and Eric must have sensed it because he tried to explain it differently.

'For vampires there are two ways to be bonded to someone, human or vampire. The blood-bond is the unofficial way, but seeing as that didn't suffice back in the days, the Authority instituted the legal pledging which is the equivalent of your human weddings, I believe. It's a ceremony and it's complicated and I don't have time to tell you what it consists of, but basically, I've lead Arthur McAlister to believe we have conducted such a ceremony, you and I…' Eric said.

'Oh.' was all I could mutter. 'Great…' I said, sarcastic.

'Now for Felipe and Victor, I will do my best for them not to ever meet you, but I rather doubt they'll be missing the gathering in Rhodes…'

'What's that? A convention for vamps?' I asked, curious.

'That's part two on the we-are-fucked list.' Eric replied, starring at the ceiling.

'Oh...' I muttered. 'Care to explain?' I asked, sliding over to him to rest on his chest. He looked down at me and pressed his lips to my forehead.

'I care a lot about you, Sookie.' He said. I caressed his cheek.

'And I about you. But I'd like it if you trusted me more. And gave me more credit. No wonder I'm clumsy and act wrong with vampires if I never know what is expected of me…'

'You're right…' Eric said, cupping my chin to pull me towards his lips. He gave me a very tender yet toe-curling French-kiss and I moaned softly when he let me go.

'I wish sometimes I could just kidnap you and bring you on some island where no one knows us and fuck you mindless all night long...' Eric said. I giggled at that.

'There's always the Caribbean?' I offered, smirking.

'I can't leave Area 5 without surveillance… Not with the trouble heading our way.' Eric replied, serious once more. 'And I have people depending on me…' he added.

'Rhodes part of those?'

'Yes, especially now that I've been personally asked to attend by the Magister, there is no way I can just skip it. Rhodes is going to be the first gathering of all the Kings and Queens of the Americas since the end of World War II, which did change a lot of things for us vampires, even though humans didn't know we existed at the time. Vampires from all the States will attend, as well as the Canadian vampire Kings and Queens.'

'Do they work by state like here? Or provinces or whatever?' I asked.

'Yes. But they have much more areas than we do… Canada is quite big after all. But there are fewer vampires there than in the States, even though I do believe they have good living conditions. Especially the ones that live up north, they get a lot less daylight than we do here.' Eric said.

'You ever been to Canada?'

'Yes. I can take you one day, it looks a lot like my home back in Sweden.' He said, smiling. 'So the gathering in Rhodes is going to be very big. And very dangerous. Vampires aren't all loyal or straightforward and many unions will be made there. Lots of us look forward to that event because it will be the time for them to get back at each other. There will be dozens and dozens of trials there and parties too. Vampires like to mingle sex and violence, as you might have noticed.' Eric said, biting my earlobe.

'Why would the Magister want me there?'

'Your telepathy, I think.' Eric said. 'And as for Bill, he wants him to sell his database…'

'If it's a vampire's gathering I highly doubt my telepathy will be any good…' I said, thinking about the fact I could actually hear Eric sometimes, when I tried very hard. I associated that to our blood-bond, but I'd shared blood many times with Bill and I'd never heard a single thought out of the relaxing hole his brain was for my telepathy.

'There won't just be vampires. They'll have their human companions. And they are most of the time the best informed of their masters intentions. If the Magister wants you there, I'm sure he has good reasons.' Eric said.

'And what about Andre and Sophie-Anne?' I reminded him.

'They won't be any trouble for a good many years for you. By the time they are free, you'll probably have gone elsewhere or they won't care with finding you…' Eric said, his hands trailing down my stomach to rest of my hips, his thumbs rubbing small circles on my skin.

'So when are we going to Rhodes?' I asked, my eyes closing in delight as his mouth busied itself on my ear.

'A couple weeks. You'll have time to settle your things in Bon Temps. Now if you don't mind, I'd very much like to make love to you…' Eric whispered in my ear, lustfully. I felt my knees go weak and I simply moaned my approval as his hands dipped in between my thighs.


	31. Sleeping On A Razor There's Nowhere Else

**Hello, hello! FIrst of all, I'm am terribly sorry I took so long to update. I'm doing midterms right now and I kind of had my head wrapped around other things. I'm currently writing two other fics (plus Concrete in Your Hair) lol I'm kind of going crazy True Blood-less hahaha so I write and write and write :) FInally another chapter. No Eric in there but lots happening none the less (sort of) It's not my best chapter nor my favourite but it was necessary :)**

**So here you go, a little list of songs to listen to (my current obsessions :D!) THe title for this chapter if from my number one song on the list!**

**Beat The Devil's Tattoo - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (most songs by that band are simply great!)**

**I'm In Here - Sia**

**Tighten Up - The Black Keys**

**Ghost In The Machine - B.O.B. (3)**

**Mercy - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club**

**Baby You're A Rich Man - The Beatles**

**The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods**

**Lost In The World - Kanye West Feat Bon Iver**

**Misery (Acoustic) - Maroon 5 (isn't the Hands All Over album just sick :D LOLL)**

**- SO thats it for now! I hope you enjoy the chapter and the music and I'm looking forward to reading your reviews! (Sorry if the chapter is a little short... :P)**

**Thanks a bunch for sitcking with me and my crazy stories lolll**

**P.S. Eric is a sneaky little Viking... hence the slight confusion about the Magister and Bill saying Sookie was his and such... :)**

The next day, Eric had arranged for me to return to my house in Bon Temps. I'd missed it quite a lot and with the recent events, I wanted nothing more than to be home. He had arranged however for me to be watched just in case. I gave Sam a call and he gave me my schedule for the next few days. I really badly needed to work so I was grateful for him being so comprehensive. I decided to give Tara and Jason both a call to see how they were doing. I was about to dial Jason's number when I heard a truck in my driveway. I looked out my window and was surprised to recognize Alcide. I went to the door and invited him in.

'What are you doing here?' I asked him, genuinely surprised by his presence.

'I came to see how you were doing. I was in town so…'

'That's nice of you.' I said, blushing. I felt bad about the whole Alcide situation. I'd kind of lead him on before the curse and regretted not keeping it at a more friendly level. He was very sweet and I realized that if I had more sense of what was good for me I'd probably have chosen him over Eric. But I couldn't now picture my life without Eric. He was my oxygen.

We chatted for a while and he told me about his sister Janice and how things were going back in Jackson. Which wasn't all that good. With Russell gone, the two packs of Jackson were fighting and Colonel Flood had recently died under suspect circomstances. I was a bit shocked to learn of that since I'd met the man once back when Alcide and I had been in Jackson seeking his advice after Debbie's engagment party. Thinking about the pack and the werewolves reminded me with a pang to my chest that I'd killed Debbie Pelt. Eric had reassured me that even if he had no idea where or how, he'd probably disposed of her body well and it wouldn't be found, but still, I had the guilt to bear. The events of the last few days had kept me from thinking about it too much but seeing Alcide made it all come back. I must have paled because Alcide worried.

'Are you alright, Sookie?' He asked, sipping at his fresh beer.

'Yes, yes, of course. Just a bit tired. No biggy.' I muttered, putting on my best innocent smile.

He nodded, convinced.

'So the pack?' I asked, trying to bring us back to the subject at hand.

'With Colonel Flood dead, there will be all sorts of political shaninagans and we will pick a new packmaster during a ceremony. My father is competing to be named next but there's also Patrick who wants the title. I actually came here because I wanted to ask you a favor if you will…' He said, carefully studying my face.

'Sure, anything you like. After what you've done for me it seems just normal.' I responded, cheerfully.

'Would you accompany me to the ceremony as my date?' He asked, a small smile on his lips.

I opened my mouth and closed it and opened it again. I was both surprised and kind of flattered but at the same time, I doubted Eric would have tolerated it. And I had a boyfriend, a very jealous one but I loved him. It wasn't as if I was exactly available to be his date.

'Alcide, it's awfully nice of you to think of me but I don't think Eric would allow me, even if we went just as friends. I don't think it's such a good idea. You know how he is…' I said. Of course he knew, everyone knew just how possessive Eric was. And how lethal.

'That's not the way I meant it.' Alcide said, sighing. 'Let's just say I could use your telepathy there…' Alcide explained. My balloon deflated. Oh. That was it.

'Oh.' I simply said, my brows furrowed. 'But you know I can't read werewolves so well…'

'However much you can read might help us.' Alcide replied. 'I know it's a lot to ask from you Sookie with everything that's been going on these past weeks but I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important…' He said. Alcide had risked his life for me, more than once. I owed him big time, for that and for Hunter too. I didn't hesitate a second more.

'Alright. When is that ceremony?'

He smiled and drank from his beer before answering.

'Tomorrow night. I know it's short notice but it's been decided yesterday only.'

Sam had given me mostly day shifts for the next few days because of my situation (read here my dangerous Viking boyfriend) and so I realized I'd just have to make up a really good excuse for me to be gone the entire evening.

'Okay. I'll have to find a bloody good excuse for Eric though… You know how pissed he'd be if I told him the truth…' I said, a small smile on my lips. 'Do I need to know anything about the gathering?' I asked, cocking my head to the side. I wouldn't want to go there underdressed or do anything inappropriate.

'Clothes-wise, it's all about black and elegant. For the rest, I can brief you on our way there. I really have a lot to do in Shreveport before I return to Jackson tonight. I'll come and pick you up at four tomorrow afternoon. That good?'

'Yeah, sure. Okay. Thank you for coming, Alcide. Was nice to see you.' I said, accompanying him to the door. He walked out on my porch and was about to go but then he turned back and gave me a look that made my stomach flutter. Stupid hormones.

'If you ever… change your mind about Northman, remember I'm there, will you?' He said, giving me a small but charming smile. I blushed and smiled at him. He really was such a good man.

'Oh and Sookie' he said as he strolled down the steps.

'Yes?'

'Debbie is still missing. If you hear anything you tell me alright? People are starting to worry in Jackson and I wouldn't want her to give you any more trouble.' He said, his voice husky.

'Sure.' I said. I suddenly felt like throwing up. Of course people were missing Debbie. She had a family, friends. I closed the door and went back to the kitchen, pressing my back against the cool door of the refrigerator. I was a murderer and Eric had disposed of the body. The whole thing could hardly be traced back to me but could I stand the guilt now that I knew without doubt people would be worrying and looking for her? However big a bitch Debbie had been, she'd been loved by people and that was the part that troubled me the most.

I arrived in Merlotte with a little advance for the lunch shift. I had brushed my hair back into a high ponytail and I'd completely forgotten about the numerous bite marks and hickeys Eric had given me the previous night. Arlene wasn't there yet, thank God, but Holly and Tara were, preparing for the first clients.

'Hello there.' I said, giving them my best smile. I didn't know what to say or do or if I was expected to explain why I'd been off work for so many days. Holly smiled back but Tara seemed nervous and jittery.

'Hello, Sookie. How have you been?' Holly said, pleasantly.

'Not bad, yourself?'

'Busy. Lots of customers.' Holly replied, a porcelain tray with the milk cups and sugars for coffee.

I looked over at Tara. She was wiping the bar counter methodically, ignoring me. I walked over to her and leaned on the counter in front of her.

'Tara. I missed you.' I said, giving her a sad smile.

'I've missed you too, Sook. I have. Sorry for being so… you know, grumpy and all. I just have a lot on my mind.' She said. I walked around the bar and hugged her tight.

'I'm the one who's sorry for not being there more for you when you needed me. With Eggs and Franklin… I really am sorry, Tara. I wish I could have done something.' I had not idea where she was now living since everything had gone a bit crazy in the past weeks. I suspected she might have moved in with Lafayette but then again, Lafayette had his habbits and surely it wasn't so great living there.

'Honey, do you want to move back in with me?' I suddenly asked her as I caressed her tresses softly.

'I'd like that, yeah. Lafayette's an old bitch and he's always busy with Jesus and stuff…' She said, chuckling a bit. 'You sure you wouldn't mind?'

'Of course not, sweetie. I'd love to have you there.' I said.

'I'll pack my stuff tonight then. And I'll come over tomorrow morning. That good for you?'

'Sure.'

Sam came out of his office then and he gave me a courteous nod before heading in the back where I could hear Tommy and Terry arguing. Some things would never change…

My shift was pretty eventless apart from the occasional annoying bar patron. A few guys from Hotshot came over but they left when Jason came in with Hoyt around the end of the afternoon. Jason gave them an annoyed look and sat at the bar with his friend.

I walked over to them.

'Hey boys. What can I get you?'

'Two beers. Thanks.' Hoyt said. I was glad Jessica had found him. He truly was a good guy and he'd take care of her. Jason stood and followed me when I went back to order their beers.

'Hey sis.' He said, hugging me. I was pleasantly surprised at his display of affection. Jason rarely hugged me but I was happy he was doing it now.

'Hey. How have you been?'

'Pretty darn good. You know that boyfriend of yours gave me this sick car!' he said, excited. 'And Crystal is lovely.

'How has it been with the people in Hotshot?'

'Well they were mighty pissed at her and I'm kind of feared there. They think I'll call that Northman on them if they bother me and I told them that that extended to Crystal so they are kind of nicer to her now.' Jason said. 'You know I was meaning to ask you something, Sook.' Jason said. Suddenly, I wasn't too sure I wanted to know what he wanted.

'You think I could come and check out the attic at Gran's? I've been looking everywhere for Mamma's old wedding ring, you know the one she wore before Dad got her that little diamond one?'

I yelped in surprise.

'Oh my god, Jason! You want to marry her? So soon?' I exclaimed, my brows furrowed.

Jason looked guilty as charged.

'Jason! You just met her! Don't you think you could think it over and wait a bit?' I scolded. He was so thoughtless sometimes it amazed me. How could he want to get married when he'd just met the girl merely a month ago.

'You were engaged to Bill after six weeks. I hardly see how that was any more thoughtful than me marrying Crystal.' Jason replied, rolling his eyes. 'I love her Sook. She's the One. I know it. I can feel it here.' He said, tapping his chest right over his heart.

'Me and Bill have nothing to do with this. Jason, her half-brother tried to kill you! Doesn't that make you want to reconsider becoming part of the family? Not even a little?' Now, I'd really pissed him off.

'You know Sook, your fiancé almost killed you himself. I hardly see how you can even be telling me all this. Now can I come and get the ring or not?' He snapped, his brows furrowed in frustration.

'I have it in Gran's jewellery box. Come tonight, I'll give it to you…' I muttered. He was an adult and I knew there was little I could do to change his mind. I guess I'd have to get to know Crystal better before they picked a date. He went back to sit with Hoyt and as good as forgot I was there in the first place. The rest of the afternoon went pretty well and it was close to 7 pm when a strange couple made its way in the restaurant. Bill and Hadley sat in a booth and Hadley looked around the restaurant with curiosity. She'd been here a few times back when we were kids and she came to visit Gran but it had been at least fifteen years since her last visit. At that time, the restaurant had been called Charlie's Fish & Chip, before Sam had bought it six years ago. Both of them looked over at me and gave me small smiles. I edged to their table.

'Sookie.' Bill greeted me, his deep voice filled with emotion.

'Hey.' I said.

'Hey cousin…' Hadley whispered. She was still feeling awfully bad because of her treason, I guessed. But then again I didn't have much family left at all so I had no intention of keeping a grudge against her. It hadn't been her fault Sophie-Anne was a psycopath.

'How are you doing, sweetie?' I asked, taking her cold hand in my much warmer one. I saw a bloody tear gather at the corner of her eye and I felt my throat tighten.

'Oh it's alright, it's alright, Hadley, really. Don't worry about it. Hunter is safe and me and Bill's gonna take care of you.' I said, throwing a quick glance at Bill who simply nodded.

'I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, Sook. I really am…' Hadley whispered, dabbing her cheek with a napkin. Many patrons in the bar were looking our way so she turned her face to hide her bloody tears. Jason suddenly spotted her and approached the table.

'Hey cous..' He drawled. He looked amazed at the fact she now was a vampire. Hadley gave him a careful smile.

'Hey Jason. How have you been? Robbing some hearts no doubt?' she asked, a bit of a smile in her voice.

'I'm settling down actually.' He said. I took Bill's order and left them both to chat. I warmed the two O neg bottles and brought them back to their booth. They were now alone and Bill was telling Hadley about some basics.

'Bill, can I talk to you a second?' I asked him.

He looked from me to Hadley and then nodded stiffly. I waved at Tara to signify her I was taking a short break and then walked out the backdoor with Bill in tow.

'What did you want, Sookie?' Bill asked, eyeing our surroundings. The night was now pitch black and I could hear the wind in the leaves of the trees as well as the faint sound of the juke box music from the bar.

'I wanted to thank you for helping me back at Sophie-Anne's.' I said, my hands clasped together nervously. 'And I wanted to say that I haven't forgiven you for betraying me, but I don't want to act as if we were strangers either. And if you wish to date…' I added, unable to finish my sentence.

He took my hands in his and pressed them lightly.

'I will always love you, Sookie. I might see other women but know that my heart has belonged to you from the moment I laid eyes on you.' He said, fervently. I felt my throat tighten and tears brim at the corner of my eyes. Somehow, even after all that had happened and how much I loved Eric, I knew that I'd always have a special place in my heart for Bill. He'd been my first everything and I could hardly forget our time together, even if most of it had been based on a lie.

'Thank you, Bill. Really.' I said, a fat tear rolling down my cheek.

'If he…if he hurts you, I'll kill him.' Bill suddenly growled. I gazed up at him and sighed.

'He won't. He cares for me, Bill.' I said.

'I don't trust him still.' Bill hissed, turning his head to gaze at the forest. 'But if he's your choice, I respect that.' He added.

'Thank you.' I simply murmured. He went back inside, feeling there wasn't anything else to be said. I stayed outside for a few minutes to breath in the cool air. Lafayette joined me then, a cigarette between his lips.

'Hello doll.' He said, lighting his smoke and inhaling deeply.

'Hey. How have you been? Just arrived?' I asked him. I looked towards the employee's parking space and spotted the familiar red Corvette.

'Yes. I'm doing the night shift today.' He said, fixing his bright pink bandana with a nervous hand. 'You know you were missed here.' He said, smiling at me. I smiled back. He was the sweetest thing and I was glad things seemed to be going better for him,

'I missed everyone too. It's been a couple of crazy weeks for us all, I think, with the vamps and Maryann and all…' I said, leaning back against the ramp of the tiny stairs that led to the backdoor.

'That it has. Crazy motherfucking weeks. You still with that blond vamp? Scary motherfucker he is…' Lafayette commented, taking a drag of his cigarette.

'Eric… Yes. He's my boyfriend now. I guess. I'm really sorry for what he did to you, Lafayette.' I said, feeling I had to apologize. As much as I loved Eric, he didn't exactly have a choir boy record behind his belt and he'd been downright awful to Lafayette.

'Well I guess his car kind of made up for some. And he gave me his blood to heal…' Lafayette replied, blowing some smoke out slowly.

'He gave you his blood?' I asked, genuinely surprised.

'Yeah. Fucking crazy shit it was.' Lafayette said. 'Gave me those fucked up dreams…'

'It is a side effect…' I said, a small grin on my lips. Lafayette rolled his eyes and butted his cigarette.

'Anyways, gotta go in, sweet pie. Take care of you and don't let him hurt you.' Lafayette said, strolling up the steps in his large cargo pants. I followed him in and nearly dropped my platter which I'd gotten on the counter when I saw the second mysterious couple of the evening pass the door. Hell I think the entire place stopped breathing and gazed in wonder at the two of them. Hadley and Bill's heads snapped up and their nostrils flared.

In the doorway of Merlotte's, dressed all in white, stood Claude and Claudine, equally beautiful and dashing and equally in danger, because before I could do anything, Hadley jumped on them, fangs bared.

Sweet Jesus, Shepherd of Judea, I thought.


	32. I'm Incarcerated And I Don't Want Out

**Here we are dearests, another chapter! ERIC IS BACK, no worries, he's there alright :) in all his Viking glory. **

**I'm really getting bored without my weekly dose of True Blood... I might just buy the seasons and watch them till I know them by heart (which I already do thanks to Youtube hahaha) I swear if we don't get Eric and Sookie smut next season I might very well go down to LA and tell Mr Alan Ball what I think of him :) which is that he's a genius, but then again I will be mighty pissed if Eric and Sookie don't get it horizontal haha. Which I do believe is going to happen and here's why: **

**A) Alexander Skarsgard has hinted a good 20000 times in interviews that he's there to break Sookie and Bill up and his Eric Northman is FASCINATED with Sookie... as in he wants to shag her real bad :) hahahaa we don't mind, as long as you're naked, Alex.**

**B) They wouldn't have kissed if they weren't headed that way... And they wouldn't have left the kiss hanging there with no explanation. Explanations that should be downright fascinating and hilarious if they do get their TALK :)**

**C) Sookie wouldn't have been so scared when she found out he was outside burning. And she wouldn't have been so prompt to offer him her blood and such. She didn't even do it for Bill when he roasted like a marshmallow (of course she didn't exactly know what to do then but wtv let me dream :D)**

**D) Eric was covered in cement (HAHAHA BEST REASON ISN'T IT? I think so too :P)**

**E) DUH. Witches are coming to town. That can only mean naughty Eric in very little clothes. Seeing as we know how he was as a human (which is sex-crazed and a womanizer and wanting to spend his entire life between a woman's thighs - we don't mind, Alex -), I'm hoping more and more he'll be amnesic. **

**BTW I was thinking the fourth season might just start with Eric in Lala-Land (Fairy Realm for those who might be confused by my appellation lol) and Sookie there too and she being mighty pissed that he is there in the first place (let's all remember he's had quite a lot of her blood lol can't wait to see him dressed in fucked up white clothes and strolling around Lala-Land hahaha I'D LOVE IT :)!)**

**OKay so let's press pause on the remote that controls my babbling brain and let's get on to more serious things lol such as THE CHAPTER !**

**So here it goes, title comes from the song Gasoline and Matches by Buddy and Julie Miller**

**And finally, thank you all for the amazing reviews. Yes I know I'm mean with the cliffies but I just don't know how to end chapters without them. It's just so much fun leaving on a cliffie hahaha don't worry I wouldn't have the heart to abandon the story on a cliffie, or abandon it all together. I'm having fun writing this and I intend to continue (maybe not all the way to book 10 but a good way still)! **

**Please review! I'll love you even more than I already do (which is A LOT!)**

**xoxoxoxoxox**

There are those moments in life where time seems to fly past you. You don't even get a chance to grasp on it and the good times are over. There are also those dreaded moments where time seems to pass a lot slower than it normally would, where each seconds seems to stretch on for years and years. Watching Hadley lunge at Claudine and Claude was one of those moments. I saw it very precisely as if I had just stopped time and was the only one in the room with a remote.

And strangely, I wasn't afraid when I saw her fangs bared. She couldn't help it, with her being so young and them smelling so good. And so I did all I could think of. I yelled and lifted my hand, energy oozing out of it in a strong blow that sent Hadley flying in Mrs Fortenberry's hamburger and fries. The time then sped forward and Bill who'd been watching the entire thing with dread and horror painted on his face moved at the speed of lightning and grabbed Hadley, dragging her out the back door with a roar. Claude and Claudine stood there, watching the entire altercation with surprise and they gave me a long look before approaching me. Everyone in the restaurant had held their breath but were now chatting loudly, commenting not on what had just happened but on Claude and Claudine, eyeing them with fascination. Sam had come out of the back during the whole thing and he stood by the bar, looking as amazed at Claudine and Claude's joint presence. Separately they were quite dashing but together, Claude and Claudine's beauty could have led crowds and revolutions. They seemed to glow with a somewhat ethereal light. Claudine was wearing a very banal yet classy white dress, not quite unlike the ones she favoured back in Fairy Land, and Claude wore pristine white jeans and a sleeveless white t-shirt that seemed to shine against his tanned skin.

_Oh my god. I think he's even yummier than that tall blond she brings around sometimes. What the fuck does she do to them?_

_Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn. She is so fucking gorgeous. Crystal who?_ (Jason, dear ol' Jason…)

_Sweet Mama. I'd change sex for a piece of ass like that. _

_Wonder if they'd say yes to a three way…_

_Wonder what cream she uses. Her skin is flaw-fukcking-less. Must be V._

_Why the hell does she get all the hotties in town? _

I blocked out people's thoughts. Not a single mental comment about me shooting lightning at Hadley. Not a single thought about Hadley and Bill as a matter of fact. Well colour me surprised. I then noticed Claude's smirk. He was obviously pleased by the attention he was getting. Oh right, he was a telepath too, just like Claudine.

'What are you guys doing here?' I asked, plopping my tray on the counter, eyes wide.

'We came to see you. Niall said you might be needing us soon.' Claudine's soft voice said. 'Don't worry about the vampire. They won't remember a thing.'

'They won't? Why…'

'We're fairies, sweet heart. We don't just read thoughts and blast energy now, that would be fucking boring.' Claude said, eyeing me as if I was some dirty piece of old chewing gum stuck to a new pair of shoes. What a charmer.

Claude looked around the restaurant and spotted Jason. His face lit up like a Halloween pumpkin.

'Well, well, well, what a hot piece you've got there…' He commented, his eyes all predatory and hungry. Not for blood, I reassure you. 'Had I known this town held something so yummy I'd have come sooner…'

Claudine gave Claude a disapproving look and held him in place with her hand on his elbow.

'You can play later, Claude. Right now, we must talk to Sookie. Remember what Niall said?' She said as if she were telling a young child he could play after doing his homework.

'I must add that this is my brother Jason… So kind of like your cousin…' I said, creeped out by the idea that Claude would hit on my brother. At least, I could be sure Jason wouldn't reciprocate… He didn't exactly like homosexuals.

Claude frowned and sighed.

Sam was still staring at us, at Claudine, should I say. Yes, she was quite the gorgeous thing with her luscious caramel hair and her perfect face.

'Sookie who are your… friends?'

'Hum… They come from… Dallas. Claudine and Claude. I met them there.' I lied, swiftly. My Gran would have rolled over in her grave, I thought.

'Yes, that's right. We're from _Dallas_.' Claude snickered, earning a disapproving glance from Claudine. I spotted Holly near Mrs Fortenberry's table, cleaning up the mess Hadley's flying form had made there. Her head snapped up as if she'd felt my gaze and she winked at me. I guess witches were immune to the power of fairies…

'We were just dropping by to say hi to Sookie.' Claudine supplied, a charming smile on her face. And by charming I mean she could have melted and iceberg with how much warmth and kindness she put in it. Sam seemed baffled by it and simply nodded.

'I guess Sookie can just take the rest of the night off.' He said, a stupid smile on his lips. Had Claudine just… _glamoured_ him? I thought only vampires could do that… I'd have to ask her how she did that…

'Thank you Sam.' I muttered, my cheeks flaming red. My shift was almost over anyways but I knew I'd have to do over time some other day to compensate the ones I'd be missing tonight.

'Come.' Claudine murmured to me, dragging me to the back where my purse and coat were, Claude in our trail. I saw him glance over his shoulder and wink at Jason who almost spurted beer out of his nose.

'Okay what the hell is going on? There are vampires here! They could have killed you!' I exclaimed once we were out back.

'I'm sorry, I didn't think they'd be able to sense us that well.' Claudine explained. 'Thank you for helping us, though.' She said, referring to my blasting light at Hadley. I briefly wondered how she was doing and what Bill had done with her. 'We really needed to see you, Sookie.' Claudine said, snapping me out of my mental worrying.

'What is it? Something wrong?' I asked, nervous.

'Niall has heard word of the vampire gathering happening soon…' Claude muttered, eyeing the bar with boredom painted on his face.

'And he fears for you there. He knows we won't be able to protect you there so he'd like to meet your… Vampire so he can give him his instructions…' Claudine explained.

'Eric? Niall wants to meet Eric?' I asked, cocking my head to the side in wonder. 'Wouldn't that be like super dangerous for Niall?' I said. Vampires had really little control over their instincts when fairies were around them. Fairies smelled that good to a vampire, whatever his age.

'Niall can mask his smell to vampires. Unlike us…' Claude said, as if reading my thoughts.

'Where and when does he want to meet Eric? I can call him and arrange something I guess?' I said. I had so many questions I wanted to ask them yet I had a feeling they weren't here to fill in the gaps.

'Two nights from now. Bon Temps Cemetery. There's a portal there between our world and this one. Near your grandmother Adele's headstone…' Claudine explained.

'We'll be there.' I answered. 'How did you convince Sam?' I asked her.

'I didn't glamour him, if that's what you were thinking. Only vampires use glamour. I… how could I explain that in your language… I _seduced_ him. That's what us fairies do. As for the people in there, let's just say they'll think back to this evening as the evening they had the most fun in this bar. They won't remember a thing.'

'Holly knows.' I said, remembering her knowing wink.

'She is a Wiccan, isn't she? Great mental shields, I must add. She's powerful. And good-hearted. You can trust her.' Claudine said, a small smile on her striking face. She looked so kind and soft I felt like hugging her. Claude on the contrary was equally as beautiful but his genuine lack of social skills made him one of those beautiful statues you just know would be hard and cold if you touched them. Plus, he obviously fancied men so his beauty was kind of wasted for the other half of the specie. I almost giggled at that thought.

'I'll remember that.' I said. 'I should probably go and see how my cousin is doing now if that's all you had to say?'

'Yes, you may go. Just remember, two nights from now, around midnight is easiest for us to cross the portal.'

'I'll be there with him. Good night!' I said before strolling to my car. I heard a faint popping sound, not unlike that of fangs being bared and spun around. They were gone and where they stood before was a very faint cloud of shining powder floating in the crispy air. Well, I'll be damned, I thought. I drove to Bill's without thinking much. As I had expected, both he and Hadley were there. Bill opened the door before I even knocked and stepped aside to allow me in.

'Hadley?' I called. She looked up from the sofa, her face bloody with tears.

'I'm so sorry, Sookie. So sorry. I don't know what got into me… I really don't.'

'It's okay, sweetie. No harm done. No one will remember a thing, Claudine and Claude will make sure of that.'

'He's her brother isn't he?' Bill asked me. I was surprised at first but then remembered he'd been to Fairy Land once after almost draining me. That brought back painful memories but I shoved them aside.

'Yes, he's Claudine's brother. My cousin of some sort.' I answered.

'Sookie?' Hadley said. 'I think it'd be best if I went back to New Orleans. I've only caused trouble ever since I've returned to Bon Temps. I don't want to pester you any more than need be. I have an apartment there anyways…' she said.

Bill gave me a thoughtful look. I suddenly understood.

'You'll go with her?' I asked him, trying to look unfazed. As much pain as Bill had caused me, it would be very different not having him around. I'd grown accustomed to it.

'For a few weeks, yes. She'll need help adapting to her new condition. Sophie-Anne kind of left her at a very bad time…' Bill explained. 'Jessica will remain here. I believe she controls herself rather well for her age and if she needs anything she'll give Eric or Pam a call.' Bill added.

'When are you leaving?'

'Tonight. I was waiting to tell you and then we're going.' Bill said. I spotted the bags in the entrance for the first time. I sat by Hadley who was still dabbing at her face with a bloodied handkerchief.

'I hope everything goes well for you there.' I told her, lightly pressing her cold hand in mine. She smiled through her tears. 'Bill will be a terrific help for you. He'll teach you stuff and then maybe I can come and visit you sometime in New Orleans.' I said, a small smile on my lips. Once again my family would be parted and as much as Hadley's presence had always disrupted the peace and quiet when she'd been in Bon Temps, I'd miss her.

'About Hunter…' she started to say. 'Bill says I won't be able to see him for quite some time. I'm not controlled enough yet and I think Remy wouldn't allow it anyways…' She said sombrely.

'I'll visit him as soon as I can and tell him what has happened. He's safe for now. The two fairies from tonight, they'll look after him.' I said. She nodded slowly.

I hugged her tight before she walked out the door and went to wait for Bill in his car. Bill stood in front of me, hands by his side, giving me a long thoughtful gaze.

'I guess this is good bye for now.' He finally said, breaking the silence. I nodded, silent.

'You'll be in Rhodes, right?' I asked, curious.

'Yes. With Hadley. She can't stay alone. Sophie-Anne left a mess behind her. She didn't tell her much about her state…' Bill said. 'I wish you the best, Sookie Stackhouse.' Bill said, drawing me in his arms for an awkward hug. He finally let me go and out the door he went. I stayed in the entrance of his home, as if struck by lightning.

He'd used the same words Eric had used before leaving for what I had thought at the time would be his True death.

I passed through the cemetery to get back to my place and realized I had no idea what to do. I felt like going to Fangtasia to tell Eric about this whole thing but then again he hadn't called me yet and I had no idea how I was going to tell him I wasn't going to be in Bon Temps the next evening. I weight the pros and cons in my head as I entered my silent home and decided I might as well tell him the truth about Alcide and the pack meeting.

I knew Eric wouldn't be pleased the least bit but I was sick of all the secrets and stuff. He'd be downright pissed, that I was sure, but I knew I wouldn't be able to lie to his face and since I needed to see him about Niall's visit anyways, I decided I'd just take the bull by the horns.

I took a quick shower and blow dried my hair. I decided to wear the white dress with the flower pattern I'd worn on my first visit at Fangtasia and I was putting on my makeup when I got a text.

_When are you getting here, little vixen? I've missed you._

I giggled before answering.

_Actually I'm eloping with Sam… Sorry ;)_

His reply came a second after.

_Can he make you come seven times in a night? Or was it eight?_

I felt that familiar heat pooling between my thighs and I blushed even though I was alone.

My lack of reply stirred his interest and he texted me once more. I could almost picture him smirking smugly.

_That's what I thought. Come at once so I can fuck you till you forget your name ;)_

I felt my skin go all warm and I rushed to leave faster. The man could do things to me…

_Coming. Better hold up to your reputation, Mr. Northman, _I texted him, sitting behind the wheel of my small yellow car.

_Only if you're nice._ I giggled and drove out to Humming Bird road. I parked on the Fangtasia lot a good half hour later. Pam smirked when she saw me approach.

'How have you been?' She said, casually, eyeing my dress with an approving glance.

'Good. And you?'

'Petulant.' She said, sarcasm in her voice. 'He's waiting for you. I don't know what you've promised him but he's insufferably smiley and giddy like a fucking tween…' She said, rolling her eyes.

I was suddenly nervous. He would be anything but giddy and smiley when I'd tell him about my evening with Alcide. I strolled through the bar, ignoring the fangbangers' thoughts. Eric wasn't on his throne but in his office, which felt infinitely more appropriate for our conversation. I knew a pissed Eric would be bad for the business.

The door was opened so I walked in but he was nowhere to see. I suddenly heard the door lock behind me and I was pressed against the wall in the blink of an eye, his cerulean gaze boring into mine.

'Eloping with the _dog_, are we?' he breathed in my ear, causing all logical thoughts to evade me. I finally managed to answer him as his mouth hovered over my throat, not touching it, just breathing down on it which caused my thighs to press together in need.

'He is just so good in bed, Mr Northman. You pale in comparison…' I said, playful.

'Oh do I…' He murmured, his voice husky. I almost gasped when his mouth found my ear and started nibbling at my earlobe, his tongue flicking on the shell, lashing fire all the way down to my toes. My panties clung to me and I knew just how aware he was of the state he could put me in.

His mouth soon found mine in a searing kiss and I almost slid down the wall, my knees buckling. He held me up, his knee pressed between my thighs, rubbing me ever so slightly.

'Miss Stackhouse, as much as I love that naughty little dress on you, I find you overdressed for what I had in mind…' He growled, his hand curling possessively around my hip as his other slid up in between my thighs, pressing my wet panties.

'Interesting…' He whispered in my ear, bringing his wet fingers to his lips, sucking on them slowly. I moaned softly as he pressed his hips flush on mine. My hands grabbed his ass of their own accord, keeping him close. His gaze burned with a dangerous fire I knew only too well. And I wanted it as bad as he did. But I decided I should probably tell him the reason for my visit before he'd make me forget about the entire universe with his skilled hands and mouth.

'I have something to tell you…' I whispered, my voice quavering.

'Can't it wait after we've made love on my desk, lover?' He grunted, rubbing his erection on my hip. He was in a terrific mood.

_Please say yes. Why is she still wearing that dress? Why does she bother with clothes at all? _

'It's important.' I muttered, my lust filled gaze locking with his equally lust filled one.

He sighed and pulled back slightly.

'What is it?' He asked, clearly disappointed.

'You won't be pleased…' I started, stepping backwards towards the edge of his desk. I sat down and looked up at him.

'Unless you've actually done it with the dog, I don't see how I could be unpleased by _you_…' He said, his voice thick with promises.

I decided I might as well do it as you'd do a Band-Aid. Fast and quick.

'Alcide asked me to accompany him to a pack meeting tomorrow night where they'll pick a new packmaster and I said yes.' I said quickly, closing my eyes awaiting the shit-storm that would no doubt come.

'HE _WHAT_?' Eric hissed. Through the bond I could feel his rage.

_The fucking prick. I'll make him swallow his own fucking tail and I'll rip his fucking limbs off. Who the hell does he think he is! Feed the dog and it bites your fucking hand. _

'Eric, I'll just be there. Nothing will happen to me… He needs my… telepathy.'

'Are you so naïve that you didn't even inquire as to what exactly happens when they pick a new pack master? Surely not!' he growled, menacingly.

I blushed and realized I hadn't asked him. Stupid me.

'You will be in constant danger there! And he knows it full well. Under what title does he want you there? They never have humans there unless they…' he stopped dead in his sentence (pun absolutely not intended). His eyes blazed dangerously. Oh shit.

_Surely he wouldn't dare…_

'He asked you as his date, didn't he? He'll present you to his fucking puppies as _his_!' Eric roared his hand punching through the nearby wall. Through the wall as in he actually made a hole there. I shuddered.

'Eric, you're scaring me…' I murmured. His face turned to me and I noticed his fangs were down.

'Give me one reason, just one so I'll not go straight to Jackson to rip his fucking throat out!' Eric hissed. I jumped off the desk and ran to him, embracing him in my arms.

'Calm down, please calm down. Don't do anything stupid. I couldn't stand it.' I begged, pressing my face to his chest. I could feel him tense at my touch. His thoughts were a jumble of violent images and slaughter and blood, all that directed at Alcide, but there was also this little bubble of lust than remained in the back, directed at me.

'How do you expect me to calm down when he's asked you to be his date to a pack meeting? Knowing full well your are mine!'

'How is that a big deal anyways?' I asked, sighing. 'I'm not his date. I'm just going there to help him…'

'You owe him nothing.' Eric growled, clutching me possessively to his chest. I felt a warm liquid sliding on my back and pulled out of his embrace. I saw his fist and shuddered. Sure, he was strong, but anyone's skin and bones make a bloody mess when blown through a cement wall at full speed. The wound would close quickly, but still.

'You're bleeding.' I whispered, pressing his knuckled to my lips. I kissed them softly, tasting his blood on my lips. A low growl escaped his throat and he closed his eyes, calming himself.

'You won't be going. I hope you know that. I'll call him and explain. That's my best compromise.' Eric whispered as pressed my face to his chest once more, hugging him tightly. I tensed at his words.

'You don't get to tell me what to do just because you're my boyfriend!' I snapped, pulling out of his hold.

_Yours, that I am._

'The hell I do. I refuse to let you go in this trap. You'll get yourself killed and I couldn't endure it. If you do try to go I'll find him and kill him.' Eric growled.

'You can't do that! What are you, a caveman?' I exclaimed, shocked.

'A Viking. And a fucking pissed one at that. You are mine, Sookie. Mine and mine alone. And if I say you don't go, you won't. I'll lock you up downstairs if I need to.'

'Fuck you! I knew I shouldn't have told you.' I growled, retreating towards the desk.

'That would have been even worse…' He hissed, leaning back against the door. Through the bond I could feel his excitement. He liked when we argued. It seemed to fuel his lust. Right now, he was just fuelling my female ego.

'You do not own me, Eric. It's not because we're together that you get to pick what I can or cannot do. I'll go because I gave him my word I would. Come along if you're so afraid he'll do something inappropriate or if you really think there's danger for me…' I hissed, my arms crossed on my chest.

_I don't own you, _you_ own _me_, you silly little thing. And it's killing me to admit it even to myself._

In my anger, I didn't even realize that he hadn't said it but thought it and I answered him aloud.

'I'm not silly, you mongrel. And I'm certainly not little.' I growled. I regretted my words immediately when I saw the look on his face. He was totally immobile, his eyes wide, studying me. I swallowed and passed a nervous hand in my hair, my heartbeat fluttering. He took a step towards me and I almost jumped in surprise.

'You can_ hear_ me.' He suddenly said. His voice was cold, calculating and downright scary.

**CLIFFIE HAHAHA! Ain't I evil :) well their my toys, I get to play with them! :D -laughs evilly- lol I love you guys seriously :P thanks so much for sticking with me and my crazy imagination :P**


	33. I Lie Down In The Dust

**There you go! Hope you like it! Please review :) xoxoxoxo I'll be eternally grateful :D**

**Title is from the song Symphonies by Dan Black**

**xoxoxoxox**

'I don't know what you're talking about…' I started saying but the next second he was over me, his hand on my throat, pressing me down on the desk. I gasped in surprise and eyed him, my eyes filled with angst. He was definitely pissed. Enraged, should I say.

'You can hear my thoughts. Not good, Sookie. Not good at all. Why the hell did you not tell me? And since when can you do it? I'm sure as hell it hasn't been that long otherwise you would have slapped me time and time again. With reason, no doubt.' He added, smirking dangerously. I frowned at him.

'You're hurting me.' I whispered.

He released his grip on my throat, replacing it with his long body, pressing on mine. His arms lay on either side of my face and his mouth hovered over mine, his fangs bared.

'You can hear vampires?' He asked, his gaze locked on mine.

'Just you. And not much.' I said, my treacherous thighs closing on his hips, keeping him there. I could feel his arousal through the bond.

'Since when?' he growled, menacingly. But I wasn't scared anymore. His voice might say one thing, but his body, hell his emotions said otherwise.

'The curse.' I said, my hands grabbing at his t-shirt, pulling him closer, desperately trying to close the space between our lips. He held his ground and his eyes became slits. With a quick pull at my dress, he yanked me to a sitting position on his desk, his hand finding the nape of my neck, yanking at my hair roughly. I moaned and he bared his fangs.

'Why didn't you tell me?' He said, craning my neck so that our lips were an inch apart.

'Because I was afraid you'd be pissed.' I said, my voice low. I could feel his breath on my face and it took all my will power to not close that stupid space between our lips and kiss him. I realized anger did it for me too. Turned me on beyond reason.

'I am pissed. Because you didn't tell me.' He growled, wetting his lips.

'I'm sorry. I don't know why I didn't trust you.' I whispered.

He crushed his lips to mine and I clawed at his back desperately trying to mould ourselves together. He growled and his hands tightened their grip on my hips. I'd have bruises, no doubt. I suddenly pulled back, remembering why I was here in the first place.

'Eric, I really have to go. I owe Alcide. For Hunter.' I said, pressing my fevered forehead to his.

'No. I won't allow you.' He growled, possessively digging his fingers in my hair.

'You can't decide for me, Eric. I'm free to do as I please. And I want to go. He's always been nice to me.'

'I can't let you risk your life for him, Sookie.' He pleaded, kissing my temple.

'I'll be safe. He'll protect me.'

'Why are you so stubborn?' he growled.

'Why are _you_ so stubborn?' I retorted.

'Do you want to know what will happen there? Perhaps that will change your mind, you silly woman.' He growled.

'Go ahead and tell me…' I replied, my fist twisted in his hair. I wasn't so sure anymore I wanted to know but then again I'd given Alcide my word.

'At pack meetings there is sex and blood and violence. More over when they pick a new pack master. Two wolves will fight to the death for the title Sookie. And you'll have to watch. And then, the winner will fuck about anything he can find in the room. And you'll have to watch that too. And then…'

'Okay, okay, okay, I get the picture, thank you. But that doesn't change anything to the fact I must go. I promised Alcide and I intend to keep my word. I'll just try not to…look too much.'

'Why does he want you there anyways?'

'I don't know. To listen in on some people I guess… He said his father is competing.'

'Herveaux is going to claim the title?' Eric asked, frowning.

'Apparently so. You know him? Ah right, he owed you money…'

'I know a lot of people, Sookie. And they don't all owe me money. Being Sheriff means more than just ordering Pam and Chow around…' He said, scolding me as if I was some dumb child in school.

I rolled my eyes at him and sighed.

'Sookie there is a lot about our world that you don't know about and it isn't all that pretty, I can tell you that. As mine, I don't want you going head first into traps especially when it's blatantly obvious that it is a _fucking trap_.'

'Eric, he needs me there.' I pleaded, giving him my best puppy eyed look. His eyes became slits and he studied me.

'Well you won't go alone that's for sure.' He finally grunted.

'So you will let me go!' I said, cheerfully. He growled at me and kissed me roughly before answering.

'You'll pout a week if I stop you. Yes, I'll let you go you stubborn woman but the dog will have very strict instructions. And if anything, anything at all happens to you, you can be sure he'll have his own entrails for dinner.'

'Yuck, Eric!' I scolded him, slapping his arm playfully.

'Woman you'll be the end of me.' Eric muttered before leaning me back on the desk, his lips capturing mine in a toe-curling smooch.

'Eric… There's something else.' I breathed against his mouth.

'What? The Shifter wants to take you on a date too?' he growled softly, obviously more annoyed by the fact we weren't making out anymore than by the fact I had something else to ask of him.

'No. It's about Niall.'

'What about him?' Eric asked, suddenly alert and serious.

'Claudine and Claude came to Merlotte's tonight and they told me Niall wanted to meet you in the Bon Temps cemetery two nights from now. It's about Rhodes I think.' I said, caressing his cheek.

'The Prince wants to meet me?'

'He's my great-grandfather apparently…' I said. Eric couldn't have looked more stunned.

'You are of the Royal bloodline?' He said, his eyes wide.

'Hum… I guess?'

'That surely changes things…' Eric said, pulling out of my hold, and pacing his office.

'What do you mean?'

'How much did Niall tell you about fairies, Sookie?' He asked me, stopping his pacing to study my face.

'He said they were at war or something. It's messy in Fae right now and he doesn't want me going there anymore. He fears someone will hear of me and try to take me from him or hurt me because I'm related to him.' I explained.

'He's right. The last Fae wars were in the years 1300s, so quite a long time ago and it was one of the messiest wars I'd ever seen.'

'But…'

'They took it to the human world because at that time, there were a lot more fae-human hybrids in the world. Most of them were massacred by some fairies who believed it was a waste of the fairy blood to mingle with humans. Some were saved, I believe Fintan, Niall's half-human son was one of those. But overall it was a bloody mess.'

'Niall did say something about Fintan. He says he's my grandfather and he's the one who had an affair with my grandmother Adele…' I explained, blushing.

'How did the fairies never learn of you till now?' he asked, dead on.

'Fintan shielded me and Jason from the fairies, even from his father Niall. But he's dead now. He was murdered by another Fae…' I said, sombrely.

'I see. What time does Prince Niall want to meet me?'

'Us. He wants us both there. At midnight. Claudine said it was easier for them to travel through the portals or something at that time of the day.'

'Alright. I'll be there. Now Sookie, about you reading my thoughts…'

'Yes?'

'No one, and I mean not a living soul can know. If vampires suspect you can read their minds too, you'll be as good as dead and even if I can protect you from most, I can't protect you from them all.' He said, serious. 'Even Pam can't know about it.' He added.

'Not even Pam?' I was surprised as Makers trusted their progenies most and above all.

'Not even Pam. I'd trust her with my life. Not with yours.' He said, darkly. I nodded slowly.

'Are you sure I'm the only one you can hear?' He asked me.

'I think so. I've never heard Bill. Nor Pam. But then again it's not like I've really tried. I assumed it was just you and the curse's side effects I guess.' I explained.

'Interesting…' He commented, pacing his office once more. 'Can you promise me one thing, Sookie?'

'Sure.'

'That you won't pick my brain unless I think at you.'

'When we touch it is a bit hard for me not to hear you…' I admitted.

'Then I guess we'll have to stop touching.' He said, cocking a playful eyebrow at me. I frowned and slid off the desk, slipping my arms around his strong neck and pulling his face down for a kiss. I nibbled his bottom lip before speaking again.

'That's not a good compromise.' I giggled.

'Absolutely not, you're right.' He muttered, cradling my face with his strong hands. Pam chose that moment to barge in the office, somehow worried.

'What is it?' He asked her, one of his hand cupping my ass.

'Trouble. Madden. He's at the door.' Pam hissed. Eric's gaze grew stormy and before he could say anything, the door to his office opened and there stood a man. A vampire should I say. He was strangely handsome but he looked scary as hell and dangerous.

_Whatever I say here Sookie, don't take it the wrong way. He can't know how much I care about you._

'Victor…' Eric said, roughly pushing me on the couch.

'Eric…' The man hissed, an amused look on his face. He had dark brown hair that curled messily around his face and his skin was somehow darker than Eric's. He was wearing a very beautiful suit and he'd have looked like a regular business man, had it not been for the cruel curl of his lips. 'Miss Swinfort.' Victor said, cocking his head politely at Pam. Pam crossed her arms on her leather clad chest, her eyebrow cocked in an annoyed glance.

'And who's the doll?' Madden asked, eyeing me curiously.

'My dinner.' Eric hissed.

'She looks mighty delicious. Would you be willing to share, perhaps? I'm sure there's enough for two…' Victor said, clearly provocking Eric. I frowned at him and slid further on the couch.

'Take your pick on the dancefloor. This one is mine.' Eric said, casually. 'What owes us the pleasure of your presence here tonight?' He asked. The way he said pleasure clearly meant he'd have preferred chewing on silver nails than actually talking with Victor. And I couldn't exactly blame him. The man was a sneaky and scary bastard. One would have told me he was the undead Jack the Ripper and I would have believed them without a doubt. He had that manical gleam in his startlingly green eyes that spoke of violence and blood.

'Felipe wanted to see how the business was going here. And of course, we all heard about the trial at Sophie-Anne's. And the throne is now available… You know Felipe. Always seeking an occasion…' Victor said, a dangerous smile on his lips. He walked in the office and gave a knowing nod to Pam for her to close the door. She did, her hand swiftly grabbing a little can of silver-water spray on the shelves near the door.

'And of course we also heard about this delicious human of yours.' Victor said, looking at me meaningfully. 'You're bringing her to Rhodes are you not? Felipe will be ecstatic to meet her.' Standing near me, Victor yanked me to my feet and breathed in my scent.

_I won't let him hurt you, don't worry._

'She smells…decadent, my dear Eric. You sure I can't have a bite?' Victor hissed, smirking dangerously. I tensed and stepped back towards Eric.

'Victor, why are you here?' Eric growled, his fangs bared.

'Merely to meet your human, Eric. She's a telepath apparently?'

'A telepath… really…' Eric said, keeping his poker face. He slid his hand into mine behind my back.

'Oh come on, Eric. Don't play games with me. You really think Sophie-Anne and Russell didn't brag about her? Every King and Queen in America knows of her. I believe Isabel in Dallas has her own telepath too. A certain Barry?' I tensed. So Isabel had claimed him…

_Squeeze my hand if that is so: is he talking about the guy that informed Bill and me you were in danger with the Fellowship?_

I squeezed Eric's hand and kept my gaze steadily on Victor. He turned his face to me and smiled a fangy grin.

'Good for her…' Eric muttered. 'So you wanted to meet her, here she is. Sookie, Victor, Victor, Sookie. Now you can be on your way as I don't recall allowing you on my territory. My good relations with Felipe do not extend to the likes of you, Victor. So if you don't mind, either you go in the bar and act as any customer would, or you're on your way and off my land.' Eric growled.

'Is she mute? Or dumb?' Victor suddenly asked, as I hadn't uttered a word.

'Fuck you.' I hissed at him. He gazed at me amused as Eric's fingers squeezed mine painfully.

_Sookie, don't._

'Oh, she's a feisty little one isn't she?' Victor snarled, amused. He took a strand of my hair and brought it to his nose, inhaling it. I shook my head, trying to move away from him.

'You smell truly delicious, my dear.' He gazed at me, concentrating. 'Don't you just want to come back with me to Las Vegas?' he mused, his voice a low murmur.

_He's trying to fucking glamour you? Is he for real?_

Victor studied me.

'You wish, Frankenstein.' I muttered to him.

'So it is true. She cannot me glamoured. That is very interesting…' Victor said, cocking his head to the side. I could see Pam was ready to spray him with the silver-water but Eric gave her a brief look.

'Well Eric, I do hope you'll bring her to Rhodes? She is very amusing. And quite the eyeful, might I say.'

'You may not.' Eric hissed. 'And yes, she will be in Rhodes. The Magister requested her there…' Eric said. I could tell he wasn't saying this just for fun and I understood when I saw Victor tense.

'The Magister you say? McAlister took an interest in her… And the plot thickens.'

'You have no idea…' I murmured, sarcastic. His gaze probed mine and he let go of my golden curl he'd still been clutching in his bony fingers.

'Well, Miss… Stackhouse is it not? Eric, Miss Swinfort, I'll be on my way. Farewell. We will meet again.' He said, turning towards the door. He gave me a last look over his shoulder before he left.

'What a fucking creep. Why didn't you end him back in the days, Eric…' Pam hissed.

'He's Felipe's.' Eric muttered. 'Are you okay?' he asked me, caressing my hair as if he was trying to remove Victor's smell from it.

'Yes. Are you?'

Eric nodded but I could see there wouldn't be any play time tonight.

'Pamela, please accompany Sookie to her home. I'll be wanting you to accompany her to the pack meeting tomorrow night so you might as well rest at her house.' Pam rolled her eyes.

'You want me to go to a pack meeting? They fucking reek, Eric!' She hissed, displeased. Eric gave her a long look and she rolled her eyes again.

'You want her to accompany me?' I asked, surprised. But he ignored me.

'Fine.' Pam muttered. 'You'll owe me another pair of Manolo's though…' Pam said, cocking her eyebrows. Eric's lips twitched and he simply fished his wallet out of his back pocket, slipping his credit card out.

'_One_ pair.' Eric growled, handing her the card. Pam smirked like a content cat and slipped his card in her décolleté.

'Come on, _doll_, we'll go have ourselves a nice slumber party…' Pam snickered, taking my arm.

_That should be quite interesting. Take pictures if you have a pillow fight, will you?_ He thought at me with a smirk.

'Give us a minute Pam. Than you can take her home and _slumber _all you want.' Eric said, shooing her out.

'Are you sure it's a good idea for Pam to come with me?' I asked Eric when we were alone.

'I won't have you go there alone with the dog.' Eric replied. 'Not with Madden on the loose. He's a twisted fuck. If you think vampires are crazy you haven't seen him with his pets…' He said.

'Will he come after you?' I asked Eric, afraid for him more than for myself.

'He's younger than me. In a fair fight I'd kill him. I just don't do it out of respect for Felipe. But no, I don't think he'll come after me. But he might come after you and until Rhodes, I won't have you alone any night. I might not have so much time for you until we leave in two weeks with all I have to plan but Pam and Bubba or Chow will take care of you…'

'Bubba? You mean…THE Bubba?' I asked, smirking slightly.

'Yes. He was quite taken with you at the trial. He swore allegiance to me and he wanted to meet you. He's trustworthy. He likes cats more than humans… But he's very obedient.'

'Does he ever sing?' I asked, giggling.

'Never ask him too and he just might…' Eric replied, a small smile on his lips. 'Come here.' He opened his arms and I cuddled to his chest.

_I'm really pissed we didn't get to finish before…_

'I'm sure you can make it up to me some other time…' I said, kissing his neck softly.

_I will, many times…_ I blushed and found his lips, parting them with my tongue, my hands wrapped around his neck. I wanted to stay with him so bad but he was a Sheriff and he had things to do.

'Go now, or I might just change my mind and give up my title for the night…' he joked, biting my earlobe. I moaned and pulled out of his hold.

'Pam's waiting for me.' I said as means of excuses and slipped out of his office. He stayed leaning against his desk.

_Goodnight, love._

Pam was at the bar, listening to some fangbanger who was desperately flirting with her. She rolled her eyes and left him standing there when she spotted me.

'Come on, doll. Hopefully you have fun things to do at your place. The humans here are such a bore…' She hissed, following me on the lot. She strolled towards her car, a powder blue convertible.

'What about my car?' I asked.

'Eric will have it back in your driveway by morning. I won't be seen in that horrible thing…' She said, her nose wrinkling.

I rolled my eyes and sat in the passenger seat of her ride. It looked very much like a car I'd had for my Barbie when I'd been little.

'Nice ride.' I commented, smiling.

'I know. I actually hate black and leather.' She added, referring to her clothes. 'I'm more of a pastel girl. But Eric insists on me wearing black and leather and stuff when I work…' She explained. I realized it probably had been the closest thing to a girl-girl conversation I'd had with Pam.

'I like pastel colours.' I said, smiling. She gave me an amused look from the corner of her eyes as her car peeled off the Fangtasia lot.

'So, how is sex with Eric?' She suddenly asked, smirking like the cat who got the canary.

I blushed all shades of red and looked pointedly out my window.

'I don't think it's any of your business…' I said, rolling my eyes.

'Oh I think it is. If he's a pain in the ass when he doesn't get some, it must be quite… something. I wish I could try you sometime. You are quite the yummy piece…' she commented, eyeing my chest instead of the road. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

'Pam, no lesbian weirdness, thank you.' I muttered.

'You are very pretty Sookie, surely you know.' She said still smiling.

'I don't but thank you very much. Can we talk about something else?' I asked, getting increasingly redder.

'I'm sure Eric would love for us to have a threesome. It has been quite some time since we've had sex but then again he enjoyed it at the time. He's got a thing for blondes…' Pam added with a smirk. Now this was just getting obscene.

'Pam!' I shrieked.

'Oh come on, let me have my fun! I'm sure you'd enjoy it…' She mused. I rolled my eyes.

'Aren't you like a lesbian? And yet you'd have sex with Eric? He's my boyfriend, let me just remind you…' I said, not exactly offended. I could understand she and Eric had a somewhat special relationship and I knew for a fact he wasn't cheating on me. What did I care if Pam had twisted fantasies?

'I keep my options open. Eric was one of the few men who satisfied me in bed. He is quite effective. And he's not exactly painful to look at now is he…Does he do that thing with his tongue and…' I cut her off with a yelp.

'PLEASE PAM, just stop!' I must have been as red as a tomato because she chuckled.

'You are very cute when you blush. I can actually see what he finds so delicious about you. I haven't seen him so taken with a woman in… a good two hundred years. And even then…' She said, rolling her eyes at the memory.

'Yes, sex is good with him if you really want to know. But over my dead body will I give you details…' I finally muttered.

'Better than with Bill?' she snickered. 'I'm just asking to have you say it cause I know Bill couldn't be better even if he tried…'

'Of course you would know…' I rolled my eyes, my tone sarcastic. She could be so annoying sometimes.

'As a matter of fact, yes, I would know.' She said, mysteriously.

'You had sex with Bill?' I exclaimed loudly. Pam started laughing so much I feared she'd get me killed as she wasn't exactly concentrating on the driving just then. It was quite a rare sight, a laughing Pam.

'Of course not! He is so dull! But I was once on rather good terms with Lorena. And she told me all about his little frenzies. She liked them but I must say I much prefer a man who's got the balls to get down on a woman… And Eric is just so good at it.' Pam snickered, a bloody tear at the corner of her eyes from laughing so much.

'Bill was good. And he was my first. So if you'd please have some respect…' I said, offended. Yeah, sure, Eric was absolutely nothing like Bill in bed, but I'd enjoyed them both in their own ways. And if I really had to admit it to myself, yes, Eric was better. By far. I mean how could he not be, he'd spent the last thousand years practising on hordes of willing women. Just thinking about it made my jaw tense. Jealousy, what can I say…

'So you really won't give me even the tiniest details? What fun is a slumber party if you won't tell me any juicy details?' Pam sneered, dabbing a little handkerchief at her eye, carefully avoiding her makeup. 'All the magazines say women love sharing their sex secrets…'

'What is it exactly you want to know?' I hissed, exasperated. I just knew she wouldn't drop it so I might as well get it over with.

'Did he bind you in his wardrobe? Blindfold you? The feathers? Did he do that thing to you with his fangs on your thigh? That was one of my favourite moves of his…' She said, nostalgic.

'Yes.' I simply said, feeling my cheek go all warm and surely as red as Pam's lipstick.

'How many times did you do it in the same night? You know I remember that night he made me come five times in a row. That was quite impressive of him. But then again I was about as insatiable as him…' She snickered, clearly enjoying this girl-girl chat. I blushed even more.

'Seven times.' I whispered. Pam shot me an appreciative look and smirked.

'Well, well, Miss Stackhouse, I am impressed.' She said, amused. 'I really wish you'd let me have my way with you. Like this you could tell Eric just how good I am. He doesn't believe me even though we've shared some women before. He says there's no way I could be better than him.'

'Oh please…' I snickered.

'Let me tell you a little secret, dearie. No one but a woman knows better how to please a woman…' Pam said. My eyes went wide and I turned to look at the road.

'You could ask Yvetta…' She mused.

'You and Yvetta?' I asked, my brows furrowed.

'You think I'd let Eric have his fun with her and not… taste her myself? Please. He may have rammed her for six hours in a row but there's nothing like a good…' she started saying

'JESUS PAM! Could you be any more graphic?' I exclaimed. I blocked my ears.

'Yes I could.' She snickered loudly. I shot her a deadly look. 'Ever heard of Vampire Erotica? The Kama Sutra is actually inspired by some of the positions featured in the Japanese paintings…' She explained. Well, I would go to bed less stupid now wouldn't I…

'Well anyways, point is, apparently Russell had some of the original drawings of the Vampire Erotica and Eric found them very amusing. Many positions and ideas. But then again, he's got a rather vivid imagination…'

'Great. That's just great.' I said. We finally pulled on Hummingbird road and in my driveway. Pam was still telling me about something obscene and I rolled my eyes. She apparently took her role as my girl friend very seriously for the time being. Yes, this slumber party was definitely going to be long…


	34. I'm A Broke Leg Pony Winning The Race

**I AM SO, SO, SO SORRY! I KNOW I SHOULD BE STAKED! I SHOULD MEET THE SUN! HELL I SHOULD BE SILVERED loll okay enough with the vampire puns, what I mean to say is I suck, I know (hahaha again vampire pun... geez brain, shut up).**

**I have been a most terrible updater these past weeks and left you guys in the dark with my story as if I'd abandoned it (HELL NO). **

**First I had my midterms and I was quite taken with school stuff and then I was just out flat on my butt with writing. My muses have been total bitches these past weeks and as much as I know where I'm taking this eventually, the next few chapters are just a pain in the butt to get on paper. I'm so excited about Rhodes I just want to jump straight there but then again I can't! We have some furry business to attend first!**

**So there, I know, piss poor excuse for leaving you in the dark for like what three weeks? But I'm truly sorry and I'll try to update more soon. Anyhow, here's a somehow long chapter to make it up to you.**

**I hope you enjoy this as I wrote and rewrote it again and again. Blank page syndrome, what can I say. But I think it came out alright (I hope?) If not, you may throw me tomatoes, I do not mind. I kind of deserve them anyways for being such a lousy writer and leaving you hanging on chapter 33 for so long.**

**A couple of songs to listen to because they're just awesome.**

**Peggy Sussed - Underworld (title comes from that song which is pure genius if you ask me :D! MICKEY IS GOD!)**

**They Won't Go When I Go - George Michael (falallalala lalallala)**

**Like A Hobo - Charlie Winston**

**Kick The Bucket - Charlie Winston **

**Number 1 Crush - Garbage (okay I must share my current obsession with you people, I was reminded of that song watching the amazing movie Soldier's Girl with Lee Pace who makes a prettier girl than most... and really just watch the movie, he's amazing in it) And anyways, the song is just pure musical sex :) stripper songs LOL love Garbage's vibe :D**

**Atlantis to Interzone - The Klaxons Crystal Castles Mix (WAHHHHH! LOVE ITTTTT!)**

**Here I think that's enough for today LOL**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW even though I don't deserve it it makes me sooooo happy :) and maybe my muses will be nicer to me with a bunch of your amazing feedback. I thank you all so much for your concern (I got emails from people worrying I'd abandoned this story :O I love you guys really) and for sticking with me this long and giving me criticism! And for reading me at all :) **

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoo**

**P.S. My TB withdrawal is hard on me... I can't wait to buy all three seasons and learn them by heart... but right now Youtube has become my best TB friend as I re-watch all my favourite moments. **

**OH ALEX SKARSGARD WHERE ART THOU!**

**a) in my bed**

**b) in my shower**

**c) on my kitchen counter**

**d) all of the above**

**Yes, I'm very funny ain't I... Just wishful thinking really :D**

**On with the show :D**

Pam looked at everything curiously, as if she'd never been to my place before. She went straight to my bedroom and started rummaging through my closet.

'Rude much?' I muttered at her, sitting crossed leg on my bed.

'Your lingerie is vastly inappropriate. You should only always wear lace in warm tones like red or cranberry or even nice pinks. With your skin tone that's the best. You can occasionally go for the skimpy little white piece. I know Eric is quite fond of white on you. Makes you look so much more… innocent and virginal…' She said, eyeing handling my thongs curiously. I thought about telling her to get her hands off my lingerie but she's Pam. No use telling her off.

'You have quite a nice couple of dresses… I'd love to take you shopping though. I could buy you all sorts of nice things! We could actually go now if you like!' She exclaimed, cheerfully.

'Shopping… at two in the morning?' I snickered.

'Right. Well in New York some stores are still opened, I'm sure. We could fly there! Chanel would look gorgeous on you!' she purred. Chanel. What about Dior? Oh and maybe some Prada to top it off…

'You don't like shopping?' she asked, frowning.

'I don't exactly have the same budget as you, Pam…' I said, serious.

'We have Eric's credit card, dear. We can buy you anything you want. I'm restricted to one pair of shoes, but then again he probably wouldn't have the heart to make me return them if I bought more…' She mused, rummaging through my jewellery box carefully.

'I'm not a kept woman. If I want clothes, I'll buy them myself… Now can we go do something else?'

'Try this on!' Pam said, throwing me a dress that had belonged to my mother in a nice ruby tone. It was beautiful but I'd never had an occasion to wear it.

'Please Pam…'

'Don't make me force you. I'd love to though…' She said, her eyes sliding down my throat towards my breasts.

'Fine.' I snapped, yanking my dress off my head. Pam's gazed at my body and she nodded slowly.

'Definitely quite a piece. You have very nice breasts.' She commented.

'Oh do shut up…' I sighed. I took the dress from her and pulled it on, turning for her to zip it up.

'Fits like a glove. Why did I never see it on you?'

'I haven't exactly had an occasion to wear it…' I explained, looking at myself in the mirror. It was a floor length gown with an empire waist and a low cut in the front. It was strapless so I pulled my bra off whilst keeping the dress in place in order not to flash Pam. She was already amused enough as it was.

'I'll have to take you shopping for Rhodes. Eric will want you looking all pretty and regal. And you should definitely bring this one. Red is marvellous on you. You should wear it more often…' She said. 'Now for your hair…' she started to say but I stopped her.

'Wow, wow, wow. We're not changing my hair. I haven't cut it since I was in sixth grade except the ends and I don't intend to change it just now…'

'I'd love to give you highlights. You know Eric lets me do his hair!' She cooed. Ah right, Pam the hairdresser… Somehow, I just knew you'd better love what she gave you as a haircut or you might end up losing some other parts.

'My hair is blond. I don't need highlights…' I said, my arms crossed under my chest.

'Indeed, your hair is rather pale. Same colour as Eric… Can I at least play with your hair? We could catch a girl movie or something?' She said, clearly fascinated with how good she was at imitating humans – not.

'Fine…' I breathed. I turned for her to unzip my dress and I shooed her out of the room to change into my pyjamas.

I decided I might as well not tempt the devil – Pam – and picked a very ugly pyjama, an old t-shirt of Jason's from the time he was on the Bon Temps football team and paired the grey top with a pair of grey shorts with a draw string. I looked at myself in the mirror and nodded. Yep, that was perfect. I didn't look sexy or overly sexual in any manner whatsoever. I was about to go wash my face but I heard Pam cussing in the living room. I walked in on the funniest sight ever. Pam was wearing pink all over. As in every single piece of her outfit was pink, from her Hug boots to her sweat pants to her zip sweat top. And she was physically fighting with my television. Obviously it hadn't occurred to Pam that plugging the television in the wall always helped to turn it on and she had pulled it off its stand and was shaking it around, swearing like a sailor.

'What are you doing?' I chocked, bursting into a fit of giggles.

'This damned machine won't work! I fucking hate your human technology! It never goes according to plan!' She hissed, still shaking my old monitor that must have weighted a ton but seemed to be as heavy as a magazine to Pam.

'And you think shaking it around will make it work?' I giggled, shaking with laughter.

'Isn't it how you nasty humans do it with those devices?' She asked, nodding her head at the old flashlight I always kept near the door just in case the electricity went missing. That did it for me. I was literally rolling on the floor laughing and I laughed so loud Pam actually put the television down and placed her hand on her hip, her face cryptic.

'Are you sick? Do you need me to get Eric?' she asked. Ah that Pam. I finally managed to stop laughing and wiped the tears on my cheeks. She eyed the entire procedure with her eyebrow cocked and her hand on her hip.

'How does this impossible machine work?' She sneered, looking at my old television.

'First, you need to plug it.' I giggled. 'Then you can actually turn it on. Shaking devices only works with battery powered things.' I explained, looking through my DVDs for something appropriate. I knew she liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I was in no mood for it tonight.

'What do you want to watch?' I asked, still smiling like a cretin from her display of domestic incompetence.

'What do you have?' She asked, eyeing my DVDs curiously. 'Oh this is good!' She said, picking 'Gone With The Wind'. I looked at her with wide eyes. 'Gone with the Wind' was my favourite book and movie.

'You like 'Gone With The Wind'?' I asked, genuinely surprised.

'Scarlett kicks asses. Of course I like 'Gone With The Wind'. I don't know what it is with you humans, thinking I hate everything and everyone…' Pam sneered, rolling her eyes. Pam popped the DVD in the machine without destroying it and she then sat next to me. She looked as if she was about to ask me something so I paused the DVD and turned to her, sighing.

'What is it, Pam?' I asked. She smirked knowingly before speaking.

'Well, I don't have my stuff to give you highlights but I'm pretty sure I could fly to Shreveport to get it and be back in a blink.' Pam said. I rolled my eyes. 'You would look dashing with highlights and then again with Rhodes coming up I'm sure you'll want to look your best for Eric. He looks dashing in a suit so you wouldn't want to look like the ugly duckling now would you?' Pam just had a way to always make you feel good about yourself now didn't she. Plus she wasn't going to let go until I gave in so what was the point in denying her her wicked fun.

'Fine. You can give me highlights, but just a couple. And don't go all crazy-hairdresser on me and end up chopping my hair and dying it black…' I warned, pointing my finger at her.

'What is it with you humans thinking I have no taste. Black would look terrible on you and the contrast with Eric's hair would be simply terrible to the eye.'

'Right…' I said, rolling my eyes.

'You must promise not to tell Eric I left you alone even a minute. He'd have my head on a plate if he knew.' Pam said, heading towards the door. I nodded slowly as the movie menu came on the screen. 'Oh and you can start without me. I know it by heart anyways.' She said, smirking evilly. The next thing I knew, she was out the door and gone. I'd at least get a couple minutes of quiet time. It was close to two thirty in the morning but I wasn't tired at all. Somehow, the whole encounter with Eric and then Madden and the jittery happy Pam had made me all cranky and nervous and even though it would have been infinitely easy to just slip right into bed and sleep in hopes that Pam find something more amusing in my house than giving me a makeover, I sat wrapped in Gran's old beige afghan and started the movie.

As lucky a person as I am, I was half expecting something dreadful to happen the moment Pam was gone, such as a home invasion by hungry werewolves, a vengeful vampire threatening me or a serial killer pouncing through the window to perfect his MO on me, but apparently the twisted and crazies and supes had better things to do that night than to try and murder me. About ten minutes after Pam had disappeared to go get her stuff, she returned, her hands full of bags. I cocked a surprised eyebrow at her and paused the movie to help her set up her things.

'Pam can I ask you a few questions about Rhodes?' I asked her as she pushed me down on the couch, wrinkling aluminum paper as she pressed a strand of my hair on it, covering it with a foul smelling mixture.

'Sure, sweet pea.' She said.

'What is it really all about, Rhodes? Just a Vampire meeting?' I questioned her, turning my chin to gaze at her but she yanked my face back towards the movie as she carefully wrapped the first strand in the tin foil.

'Well not exactly.' She replied, mysteriously. I rolled my eyes. How so very Pam to be obnoxiously cryptic about everything.

'Care to elaborate?' I pressed, my eyes fixed on the screen. I hadn't exactly paid attention to the movie so far but I knew it by heart anyways and it provided some good background noise.

'Eric hasn't told you shit now has he? How very him…' She started to say but then hissed as I tried to turn to look at her. 'Stop moving or I'll bleach your nose, capiche? Now, Eric hasn't specifically told me to keep you in the dark on the Rhodes thing so I guess it's alright if I fill you in. First of all, not it is not just a Vampire meeting. Even the Magister cannot bring himself to wrap his head around the fact the Council was and never will be made exclusively of Vampires…'

'The Council? What the hell is that? Is it the same as the Authority?' Pam tsked in annoyance and I'm sure she rolled her eyes even though I couldn't see her face.

'He hasn't told you shit, really. I'll have to have a word with him about letting me do all the boring chores of filling you in. No the Authority and The Council ain't the same. The Authority is some new thing that appeared just a few centuries back and it's only made of Vampires. The role of the Authority is to decide upon matters that touch vampire business and vampire business only. As you might have noticed, there are other things than us out there… Even though we of course are the better of them all…' She added with a dramatic sigh. Of course, Pam, of course.

'By other things you mean shifters and weres? And witches and fairies I guess?' I asked her.

'And demons and elves and angels and…'

'Wait a minute, there are demons? Freaking demons?' I said, startled. I knew better than to whip my head around to gape at her as she'd probably have sprung my neck to continue working on my hair.

'Yes but they're no nearly as physically unattractive as your despicable religions depict them. In fact most of them are quite the tasty sight…'

'Is it a Supe thing to be hot and attractive and all?'

'You could say that. But I must admit I've never met an attractive ogre.' She droned. I giggled.

'Ogres, really?'

Pam ignored my last comment and continued.

'So, as I was saying, the Authority only deals with Vampire business regarding vampires and sometimes human, but whenever another Supe is concerned, then it is no longer the Authority's competence to deal with the shit storm. That's where the Council comes in. The Council has existed for thousands of years and its members are the oldest most powerful creatures on this planet. There are nine of them, all representing one of the master races.'

'Vampires, Weres, Shifters…'

'Fairies, Witches, Elves, Demons, Angels…' Pam supplied.

'But that only makes eight.'

'And the Prophet.' Pam said, yanking at a particularly reluctant strand of hair.

'The Prophet? What kind of a name is that?'

'The Prophet is human and immortal. And he or she is called the Prophet because he or she is the one who sees and knows all.'

My silence must have hinted Pam about the fact she might as well have been talking in Chinese right now for all the sense her words made.

'I say he or she because no one knows what the Prophet looks like. His or her decisions are made public through the Council and they're always in the form of letters. The whole point of the Prophet is to remain hidden. He or she is the one to take the final decisions when the other Supes cannot agree.' Pam said.

'Wow.' I muttered.

'Yes, wow. Our politics are a lot more complicated than they seem, Sookie. And if you stick around long enough you'll come to see Eric is much more important to this world than his position as Sheriff shows him to be. You should feel honoured one such as him has picked you of all the masses to be his.'

'Right, thanks Pam for reminding me time and time again just how pathetic and unworthy of his attentions I am.' I sneered. She was in my face the next second, her nose a mere inch from mine.

'Now you listen to me, little whiny brat. If he picked you, he must have his reasons. And I trust him entirely. But be sure that if you dishonour him or disrespect him or hurt him in any way, I'll take great pleasure in making you suffer to your last breath. If you're good, we can be the best of friends though.' She offered with a glacial smile. I swallowed hard before speaking.

'I have no intentions of betraying him in any way possible, Pam. Even though you might not comprehend that, I love him.' I admitted. Her eyes became slits and she studied my face before whooshing back around the couch to continue playing in my hair.

'Eric could have been King time and time again. Hell in a few hundred years he could apply to be the next Vampire member of the council if he so desired. With Russell and Godric gone, there remain very few vampires on the planet older than Eric. In fact there are only a handful of them. However, Eric never wanted all the trouble and visibility that came with being King. That's why he gave his approval when the Authority picked a new Queen for Louisiana half a century ago.'

'They asked for Eric's permission?' I asked, amazed.

'Of course. He's one of the oldest and most powerful Vampires of the United States, Sookie.' Pam said as though I was stupid for not knowing that already.

'Why do you say he's so powerful?'

'Eric has connections with very powerful Supes. Niall, for example.' Pam said.

'Niall? You know about Niall?'

'Not much, in fact I think you know more than me, but Eric has mentioned his name a few times. I think they met back in the 1300s during the Fae wars.'

'He's my great-grandfather.' I told her. She remained silent for a few seconds.

'I see.' She finally said. 'Anyhow, that explains a bit why you seem to create such an uproar in the Supe's world… Anyways, Eric is very important and very trusted and he could have been King time and time again even back in Europe, but he didn't want the trouble that came with the title. He values his freedom too much to tie himself to a title.'

'What about being Sheriff then?'

'No Vampire would want to have him in their Area if they became Sheriff. How do you suppose they'd make him obey?'

'The Queen did…' I mused.

'Sophie-Anne was an entirely other pair of sleeves. Anyways we're getting off subject. Eric accepted the title of Sheriff because of the income mainly. And because it isn't really a bother when one is smart enough to handle the job correctly. Now about Rhodes, it isn't just a regular Vampire meeting. It's going to be a huge meeting of all Supernatural beings and the Council is going to attend.'

'Shut up!' I muttered. Pam mustn't have been familiar with the expression because she pulled my hair a bit roughly and sighed.

'It's an expression, Pam.' I said as she released my hair, concentrating on the movie for the first time in the past twenty minutes.

'Why didn't Eric tell me all that?'

'Because Eric tends to get out of hand around you as it seems. He can't think straight. Yet I don't know what is worst: you being around him or you not being there. I swear he is insufferable when you're not around. You'll need to be at the best of your behavior in Rhodes, Sookie.' Pam warned.

'As if I wasn't already stressed enough about that…'

'You will never be stressed enough about _that_.' She sneered. 'In three hundred years I have never seen Eric so enamoured with a human or whatever it is you are and I don't like it one bit. It's not that I have something against you, actually I find you quite interesting, but Eric can't afford distraction, especially not with Felipe and his fucking dog Madden breathing down our necks. And in Rhodes, he'll be needing his head clear of worry so you better behave.'

'I promise you to do my best.' I said solemnly. And of course the moment those words passed my lips I realized it didn't really depend on my good-will for everything to go as planned, but more on the goodwill of the many people who wanted me dead or enslaved to them. But I'd do my best.

'Good.' Pam said.

It took at least two hours for Pam to be satisfied with the results and by the time she was done giving me what she called her Vampy Makeover, I must admit I looked rather pretty. She'd given me at least three different face masks and my skin was radiant (I suspected one of her masks to contain some vampire blood but I dared not ask as she was rather secretive about her stuff). My hair had three different tones of highlights all lighter than my hair color and she'd even had time to paint my toes and fingers in an elegant pale pink color. When she was through, I was positively exhausted and I politely asked her if she would mind me going to bed.

'You want me to join you?' She offered, playful. I rolled my eyes and suppressed a yawn before showing her where she'd be sleeping for the day.

'I can't believe Eric hasn't thought about making this more comfortable and appropriate. It's so Old World to sleep in the dirt… Guess I'll have to sleep on the nude… I haven't brought any track pants I can dirty up.' She sneered, eyeing the hidey hole with disgust.

'I can lend you some pyjamas if you like?' I offered, but somehow I just knew Pam wasn't going to like what pyjamas I could offer her. And she made a point of telling me.

'If this' she said, pinching the sleeve of my oversized football t-shirt with her crimson nails as her nose twitched with disgust 'is your idea of nightwear, than I must tell you I'd much rather sleep naked… This is positively hideous. You don't wear that with Eric now do you? I'm sure he finds it cute and adorable since it's you and he's gone all giddy-goody over anything that has to do with you, but he can't find that_ attractive_… I so have to take you shopping before we hit Rhodes.' I managed to grumble a 'Whatever' before I crawled under the covers and rolled into a tiny ball to sleep. Leave it to Pam to clean up the mess she'd done in the living room with all her bottles and sprays and creams and pots. It's not like it would take her very long with vampire speed and all.

I was rather surprised when I realised I was dreaming. It started out as a normal dream, like the ones induced by drinking Eric's blood. I was in bed with him, only it wasn't my bed, nor his. It was a random bed, one your mind creates to fill in the gaps of a reality that isn't. And we were fooling around and it was just great. But then I heard voices in the next room.

'I'll be right back, darling.' I said to Eric and he simply nodded. And that's when I realized we were in a room in broad daylight and the sun bathing the entire room started burning him and he simply rolled over laughing. I was about to comment on the fact he was burning but then I heard the voices in the other room once more and simply dismissed the fact his hair was literally on fire. I walked out of the strange bedroom completely naked and arrived in a strange living room which looked quite classy and had a definite air of familiarity, as if I'd been there before, which was stupid really because I'd never seen it. At one end of the room, sitting behind a long table draped in black velvet were nine people, nine Supes, I should say. I guessed they were the Council and frowned as I'd never seen them before. The one in the middle was draped from head to toe and I couldn't tell how she or he looked and I assumed it was the infamous Prophet. At the other end of the room, on the couch was Haldley and she was talking on the phone, completely oblivious to the fact there were nine strangers in her living room. And then there was a knock at the door and she stood with vampire speed and opened the door and there was a figure outside, someone cloaked that I couldn't see and the cloaked figure grabbed Hadley by the throat and ripped her head off in a swift move. I yelled and stepped back in horror and then Claudine appeared in the corner and started moping Hadley's remains and she tsk-tsk at me. The table with the nine people had vanished and I was in my kitchen but Hadley's blood was everywhere.

'Sookie, Sookie, Sookie… what have you done?' She asked me. And then Bill came in the room from the same door I'd passed through and he was holding my Merlotte's uniform in his hands and he tossed it to me.

'Time to go to work, dear.' He said. Except it wasn'st his voice. It was Eric's. And then I was back in bed with Eric and the room was now dark. And Eric rolled over with a smile on his face and he cupped my face with his big hands.

'Aren't you a doll.' He said. And I realized my cheeks were wet. And I looked at his hands and they were full of blood and when I looked up, it wasn't Eric anymore. It was Madden and he was holding a knife.

'Goodnight, sweetpie.' He hissed and stabbed me.

And then I woke up. I was trembling like a leaf and was thankful the sun was up. I was covered in sweat and my beautiful new hair was all matted on my head from all my tossing and turning. This had been the most horrible dream I'd had in months. I breathed slowly in and out, my eyes fixed on the ceiling before pulling down the covers and slipping out of bed. I checked the time. It was close to eight in the morning. I'd only slept about four hours and I felt terrible. I had a slight headache and I knew the day would be long. I was only expected at work at around ten so I had plenty of time to linger in the shower, shaving my legs and taking care of my hair. As much as I hated to admit it, Pam's highlights were really beautiful and I was happy she'd pampered me. I pulled on my Merlotte's uniform and opted for a half ponytail today to show off my new hair. I put on just a bit of makeup as I'd come back to get changed for the pack meeting and would decide then on something more appropriate.

After a quick breakfast, I walked out of the house, making sure that all the doors were locked. As promised, my car was in the driveway. On the backseat of my car was a box with a big velvety black bow on it. I opened it and found a note tucked inside the tissue paper.

_So you'll think of me tonight. I'll see you after the meeting and we can put these to good use._

_Love,_

_E_

I blushed when I saw what he'd gotten me. It was the skimpiest lingerie ensemble I'd ever seen, all in dark burgundy lace and transparent gauze which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. There was the garter belt and the matching bra and panty set. I grinned slightly at how beautiful the ensemble was even though is was a rather naughty gift and texted him a thank you as he was probably resting for the day.

Work was rather dull and we didn't have too many customers. The day whooshed by and by four, I was out and on my way home. Alcide had been informed by Eric that he wouldn't be allowed to pick me up until Pam was awake and since the sun was only going to set in an hour or so, I took my time to pamper and shower. I had no idea how one dressed for a Pack meeting of this importance but I thought I should wear something elegant. I was almost done blow drying my hair when Pam emerged in my bedroom. She looked positively radiant even though she looked annoyed.

'Don't you look cute.' She sneered. I took in the sight of her. She was dressed in an elegant black pencil skirt and pink blouse and her makeup was quite low key compared to the flamboyance I was used to from her Fangtasia attires.

'Thank you.' I muttered. I checked my reflection in the mirror and noticed Pam's nose twitching.

'The dog is here.' She whined.

I rolled my eyes and we descended the stairs to greet Alcide. He immediately tensed when he saw Pam.

'You look ravishing.' He said to me, smiling tightly. Pam cocked a bored eyebrow at him. 'You're looking good too, Pam.' He said, gesturing for us to come out with him on the porch. Pam passed in front of me and eyed the surroundings seriously before allowing me on the porch.

'I take it you know your instructions. If anything happens to her, you're as good as dead, were. Are we clear?' Pam growled at him. Alcide frowned and nodded. I gave him a small smile.

_Is she always that pleasant to hang out with? _He thought at me, looking at Pam as she twitched her nose in disgust at his truck.

'It's her Pam charm.' I said, chuckling. And in the truck we climbed. Pam insisted on me sitting with her on the back seat as if Alcide would take advantage of me sitting in the front to get me pregnant with many of his furry babies. Go figure what went on in Pam's mind… The ride was rather tense since everytime Alcide tried to make small talk with me, Pam would throw him a death glare through the rearview mirror. We managed to get all the way to Jackson anyhow and I started to feel jittery the moment we entered the outskirts of the much bigger town. Somehow, I knew the night was not going to be all pleasant and fun.

'On with the show.' Pam muttered when the truck finally jerked to a stop in front of an old abandoned werehouse.

And once again, Pam was dead on with her comment.


	35. High Crime, It's Not My Time

**As Franklin Mott would say: I feel like I've been stakkkeeeddd! That is what my muses might say for their defence for being so terribly cheap with me these days, but then again I'm writing a new chapter for both Concrete In Your Hair and After The End whilst writing a new chapter for Fresh Blood too. So here are my pathetic excuses for making you wait so long... AGAIN. LOL**

**I must thank you once again for the amazing reviews. They warm my heart and make me go all giddy goody :) They melt my heart to dead-vampire goo :) oh the yummy comparison hahahahahah seriously, I love you guys, you make my day by reviewing even when you don't agree with our dear Sookie :P I do try to make her somehow (A LOT) smarter than poor Anna Paquin's character because let's face it, she can be depressingly stupid... Oh and I must apologize for not filling your cravings for Eric-ness... Do not worry, next chapter or the one after that, he'll be back in all his (naked?) glory :)**

**Now, now, now, chapter title comes from the wonderfully hype song Back To Daylight (HAHA OH THE IRONY for a vamp-story :P) by the Dub Pistols Featuring Ashley Slater! Love zha beat.**

**A couple of songs to listen to if you wish :D my vibe :P**

**Back To Daylight - The Dub Pistols Feat Ashley Slater (dadadaaaaaaaa :) yes I somewhat retarded when I don't sleep enough :) hahaha)**

**The Difference Between Us - The Dead Weather**

**Fun For Me - Portishead & Moloko (can a duo get any better than those two delicious bands together?)**

**Do It Again - Five Times August (it's the theme song for HBO on the TB DvDs - no I still do not possess them but I have a lucky friend who does and we had ourselves a little TB night yesterday :)! - so yeah I loved the song :P)**

**Fuck You - Damien Rice (haha sweet Damien)**

**9 Crimes (Guitar version) - Damien Rice (I insist on the GUITAR part because it's the version that was used in the eponym episode 4 of TB's season 3. The original version is great too but the guitar version is just rwar)**

**The Equaliser - Clinic (Evan Rachel Wood and a tongue piercing getting stoned in a park... Need I say more? :) I'll just drop this clue: 13 !)**

**SO THERE GOES THE MUSIC FUN.**

**Now on with the real furry fun! I hope you guys will like my take on the packmeeting because I think you might be surprised (I hope so anyways :P)**

**Love you all! Please review! (I can't believe I have more than 850 reviews really.. I think I might throw a party for my 1000th review LOL)**

**xoxoxooxoxoxox**

When I think back to the pack-meeting, I can't remember what started the ball rolling, the ball which sent us all to hell. As I stood in the middle of the room which was littered with blood and naked bodies, all I could think of was to thank God I was still alive.

When we first arrived, I spotted a good two dozen of cars and trucks parked all around the old werehouse. Before we made our way to the door, Alcide stopped both me and Pam to talk to us.

'I know that Eric wants you to remain with her at all times, but I don't think the pack will take it all that nicely if I show up with a vampire…' Alcide said, eyeing Pam seriously. Of course Pam would have none of his shit and she made it abundantly clear with her raised eyebrow as she relayed to him the information with a sarcastic drall.

'If you want her in there, you'll have to endure me, dog. She's Eric's. Surely that rings bells in your thick skull…' Pam said, a hand on my bicep, squeezing just enough to cause me to grimace. Alcide didn't fail to notice this but he said nothing. He knew of course there was no kidding with Eric.

'We won't be trouble, I promise.' I said, offering him a tiny smile. Of course, I couldn't have been more wrong, but then again, one never knows what the future holds in store.

'In there, it's going to be… special, to say the least. You ever been to a pack-meeting like this?' Alcide asked Pam, roughly. Pam rolled her eyes.

'No, I haven't but I know damn well it ain't no tea party. Now can we just cut to the chase and go? I was actually hoping not to spend the entire evening in the mud. Especially not with those pumps on.' Pam sneered annoyingly.

'A pack-meeting like this one is quite peculiar for humans…'

'Eric spoke about fights and… and sex…' I said, staring at my hands with a suddenly fascinated gaze.

'Yes...' Alcide muttered. 'But the reason I needed you here is that my father is competing to be the new pack master and his competition, Patrick Furnan, is not known to play exactly fair. I was wondering if you could perhaps probe his brain and see what are his intentions, if he's going to cheat and all…' Alcide said, causing my brows to furrow.

'I see. But isn't it that a bit touchy? I mean what if he is going to cheat? What am I supposed to do? Call out his bluff?' I asked, looking at Pam out the corner of my eye. She didn't look one bit pleased with Alcide's less than smart plan.

'Dog, you're going to be putting her in the crossfire doing that and I won't have that. I much value my life and I won't have Eric killing me over your imbecility.' Pam snarled. Alcide shot her a warning glance.

'My father's life is on the line here, Pam. I won't let anything happen to Sookie but she said she'd help me so unless she decides she doesn't want to, we'll be doing this.' He growled menacingly.

'Alright, I'll do it, Alcide but I'm not saying a word to any of those wolves. You're the one who's going to have to call out Furnan's cheating if it so happens he is cheating.' I said. Alcide nodded and we proceeded to the door.

'This is the worst plan I've heard since the Great Revelation…' Pam muttered. I looked at her over my shoulder and rolled my eyes. She could be such a drama queen. I must admit at that point I wasn't exactly jumping with joy. To be most honest, I was literally shaking with angst and anxiety. I had not idea whatsoever what to expect of the pack meeting even though I could pretty much imagine it to be some sort of ring fight and then sex but then again that still left place to a lot of improvisation and lots of gaps for things to go wrong. When we entered the werehouse (haha, ironic, I know), there were a good sixty people already there, gathered around a ring - as in a boxing ring – yelling and snarling and drinking and talking loudly. Most were dressed like truck drivers and the girls had on skimpy outfits. However, some elder ones looked neat and well put together.

The room was literally split into two gangs and you could tell immediately more than one half was rooting for a tall man, just an inch shorter than Alcide, standing in a corner, drinking a glass of scotch whilst talking business to an older woman who was very elegant compared to the rest of the women present. She had on a dark grey suit and a row of pearls at her neck. The man turned towards us when we entered and his face seemed conflicted. He gazed at Alcide and I immediately understood who that man was. The resemblance between Jackson Herveaux and his son was more than striking. Looking at Jackson Herveaux, I could tell that Alcide would age exactly the same. Jackson Herveaux was remarkable for a fifty-something man. His hair, though greying at the temple was still thick and trimmed just a bit shorter than Alcide's. His strong jaw sported the shadow of stubbles characteristic of dark haired men after five pm that only added to his overall masculinity. His eyes, though shaped like Alcide's were a dark grey instead of the stormy chocolate that was Alcide's. I assumed he had his mother's eyes. But however dashing Jackson Herveaux looked, the moment he spotted Pam, his brow furrowed and he almost growled when we joined them.

'What the hell are you thinking, son, bringing a deader here!' Jackson Herveaux hissed, eyeing Pam with a disgusted glance.

'Sookie is Northman's, Dad. And we _need_ her here. I won't have Furnan cheating and you risking your life. The condition for Sookie coming was Pam being with her…' Alcide explained. Jackson assessed me for the first time and the tight curl of his lips relaxed into a warm smile.

'So you are the beautiful lady my son has been rambling about on and on for the last few weeks…' Jackson said, obviously teasing Alcide who tensed and frowned at his father. I blushed slightly and gave Jackson Herveaux my best smile. He took my hand and a true gentleman, he kissed it softly. I noticed his lips were rather soft for such a masculine looking man.

Pam hadn't said a word and was simply looking at our surroundings carefully inspecting the place. I couldn't help but glance in the direction she was looking at and noticed she'd already spotted the exit door. Right, never go in a place without knowing the exit path in case things turn messy. Of course, once again, Pam couldn't have been more right. Somehow, not many werewolves had yet noticed that Pam was a vamp and I attributed that to the fact the ambient lighting wasn't all that great. But surely their sense of smell would betray Pam to them just as vampires could sniff a werewolf kilometres away. Debbie's image flashed in my mind and my face must have shown my discomfort because Alcide shot me a worried glance. I wondered briefly if any werewolf in Jackson was actually worrying about Debbie's whereabouts. Not forgetting my manners, I reminded myself I should greet Jackson Herveaux properly instead of just looking around.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir.' I said. Jackson's eyes narrowed, an amused grin on his full lips and he winked at his son.

'I see what got my son's attention. You are utterly charming, my dear.' Jackson's warm and manly voice held this influence, this power that was inherent to some men and that so many others spent their life seeking. 'And you are?' Jackson said, this time addressing Pam. Pam turned her gaze to him and studied him a few seconds before answering with a surprisingly polite tone.

'Pamela Swinfort de Belfort, progeny of Eric Northman. And bodyguard of Miss Stackhouse tonight. Is my nose wrong or is there a weretiger in the place?' Pam said, conversational. Jackson smirked.

'Yes, Quinn and his company, E(E)E, are organizing the events of the night. I believe he's in the back, chatting with Patrick Furnan right now…' Jackson said. 'It's a…_pleasure_ to meet you, Miss Swinfort de Belfort, even though I must say I would have preferred meeting you under different circumstances. I do not particularly like Mr Northman interfering with werewolf business…'

'Well, _Sir_, I guess than you shouldn't interfere with vampire business. And seeing as Sookie is Eric's… girlfriend, I hardly see how your requesting her presence here isn't acting on double standards.' Pam replied, coldly. Her eyes had lost that conversational gleam and she was now sizing up the man. Even though Jackson Herveaux was a strongly built man, vampires were still infinitely stronger, unless of course werewolves had had vampire blood, which surely wasn't the case here, seeing as Jackson seemed repulsed by the idea of Pam being undead.

'Now, now, no fighting, you'll need all your energy with that snake Furnan…' The older woman suddenly said. I turned to her and gave her a soft smile.

'I'm Sookie Stackhouse.' I told her, extending my hand. Unlike vampires, werewolves – I could tell by the slight buzz of her brain that she was one – didn't mind shaking hands and her grip was surprisingly strong for her age.

'Christine Larrabee. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stackhouse. You are… most infamous in the Supernatural world.' She said. Her voice was velvety but her will was steel underneath.

'Christine was Packmaster Hilford Larrabee's wife. He was the previous Packmaster, before Colonel Flood.' Jackson explained. I made a private joke in my head of the fact he was called Jackson and lived in Jackson Mississippi but the serious of the situation caught me back.

_Is it true you can read any thoughts you like?_

I turned towards Christine Larrabee.

'Not vampires. But humans I can. Some people broadcast louder than others and touching intensifies the connection. For werewolves and shifters it's a bit different. I can hear most of what you think if I let my shields down, but there's always a slight buzzing, like interference…' I admitted, surprised at myself for confiding so easily to this older woman. Jackson observed me fascinated as Christine smiled.

'You are truly unique. You're not completely human, are you?' Jackson said, sniffing me. I would have blushed hadn't I been used to that sort of attention from werewolves but I felt uncomfortable nonetheless.

'I don't think Sookie's ancestry is relevant here.' Pam interjected. Of course, Eric wouldn't want us spilling the beans about my lineage to Niall Brigant in front of werewolves…

'Right. Well you can go around as you like. If anyone asks question, you are here on my strict invitation, as well as your bodyguard. Alcide, I suggest you stay close to her… You know how they get with strangers around…' Jackson said. Alcide took my arm and Pam stayed a step behind me as I was given a brief tour of the place. I made sure to spot all the exits in case I needed to flee. It wasn't long before none other than the infamous weretiger approached us, grinning like we were Christmas gifts under the tree and he, a very excited five year old. I couldn't help but feel unease when our gazes locked because he was almost shouting his thoughts at me.

_I see you're no longer with the vamp… Aren't you one beautiful lady…_

I blushed and gave Pam a fast look before Quinn planted himself right in front of me, sizing up Alcide and then turning to undress me most rudely.

'So it is true then… You are here.' Quinn said, a smirk plastered on his face. I politely smiled back.

'Yes, here I am…' I chuckled nervously. Alcide tensed next to me and I briefly had a glimpse in his mind.

_Is he so thick he doesn't know she's taken? Eric would rip him to pieces if he knew how he's catching flies gaping at her, undressing her with his stupid eyes… Damn Northman anyhow…She should be with a man who can provide for her…_

As if Eric couldn't provide for me. As if I'd want a man providing for me in any case… Men could be rather shallow sometimes. Neanderthal wasn't that far back in their evolution, it seemed.

'Always the charmer, aren't you? So what are you here for? This your new man?' Quinn said, jutting his chin at Alcide.

'No. He's my friend. I'm still with Eric.' I said, trying to make the point clear I was very happy in my relationship.

'Ah, pity for me…' Quinn had the nerve to say. I gave him my best Crazy Sookie smile and tried to edge around him to continue on our tour but he wouldn't have it.

'Have you been offered a drink, Miss Stackhouse?' Quinn asked me, his gaze insistent on my chest. I resisted the urge to both roll my eyes and cross my arms on my chest.

'No…' I muttered. Quinn was really handsome in an army boy kind of way, but he had a way with me that troubled me. Did the man seek a painful death? Sophie-Anne had been silvered for twenty years for drinking from me… Andre too and Longshadow had been staked for trying to kill me… And that didn't even begin to cover the grounds of Vampires-Are-Possessive-Bitches land.

'Let me get you something. Gin-and-tonic?' Quinn said, winking at me. I nodded and glanced at Alcide and Pam. Pam was trying very hard not to lose her temper and Alcide looked petrified with annoyance, a deep frown on his face.

'Could he be any less subtle?' Alcide muttered the moment Quinn was out of hearing range.

'Perhaps we should go closer to Patrick Furnan if you want me to probe his mind…' I murmured to Alcide. Anyways, I was pretty sure Quinn wouldn't just pop back with that Gin-and-tonic just yet. Many weres were (ha-ha) giving us strange looks by then. A few tensed next to Pam, knowing with a sniff that she was a vampire. A few spoke roughly with Alcide who muttered some bits of information so as to justify Pam's presence. A woman resembling Debbie - in attire and lack-of self-respect - approached Alcide and stepped on Pam's toes. I was afraid chaos would erupt but the girl excused herself before taking off. Pam hissed and simply glared at her.

'I hate were-bitches. They have so little manners…' Pam growled. Alcide rolled his eyes at her comment and took us closer to where I assumed stood Patrick Furnan. Before we approached the group of people surrounding him, Alcide took me aside and murmured in my ear.

'If it can help you probe his mind, just know the match is usually until one of the two wolves draw blood from the other. It is the winner's choice to let the other live or not. Most do. There are three stages to the competition, one about agility, one about strength and one about wits. If Furnan cheats, my guess is he'll try to incapacitate my father.' I nodded and we continued our way towards the group.

Patrick Furnan was very similar in size to Jackson Herveaux, but his hair was a dirty blond and his face was strangely feminine in a way that reminded me of Andre. I shuddered at the mental comparison and gazed up at the man's eyes which were a pale icy blue. He was staring right back at me with a dangerous smile on his face.

_Who's that? Herveaux Junior's bitch? Nice tits…Wonder why he brought her here… no place for a pansy little Southern chick. And that vamp… what the fuck was Jackson thinking bringing _that _here…_

I involuntarily raised my left eyebrow at the man's thoughts. Vulgar and shallow, as I'd expected. He however took a step towards Alcide, Pam and I.

'What do we have here… Alcide, you should have told me you hung out with scum…' Patrick Furnan said, glancing at Pam. Pam's eyes became slits and she growled softly, causing a few heads to turn towards us.

'You, however, are quite the sight, Miss?' Furnan said to me, ignoring Alcide's outraged glance.

'Miss Stackhouse. And you are?' Making him think about his purpose here would without doubt uncover his intentions if he meant to cheat.

'Patrick Furnan. I'm competing for the title.' He added with a knowing smirk. He had a glass of cognac in his hand but he had yet to take a sip from it. I eyed it, concentrating on his thoughts as Alcide and him exchanged somehow civil greetings.

_Wonder what that prick will think of me becoming his pack master. Hopefully he'll know better than to turn against me… Frank must have delivered the bottle to Herveaux by…_and then his thoughts were obscured. Patrick was staring at me as if he knew what I was doing.

'Miss Stackhouse you said?' He asked me, his eyes cold and calculating.

'Yes.' I replied, defiantly.

'The telepath… Northman's very own private little telepath…' He mused. My reputation was really becoming quite a burden. And now he knew that I could read his thoughts and he surely wouldn't think about that damned bottle again. An idea suddenly occurred to me. Remembering the spray can of silver particles in water that Pam liked so much, pieces of the puzzle fell in place in my head.

'Yes. Anyways, was nice meeting you, Sir, but Alcide was just about to show me the ring…' I said before storming off, Alcide and Pam in tow. Alcide grabbed my arm just as Quinn joined me, offering me my drink. I ignored him and turned to Alcide.

'He's going to try and poison your father with silver addled alcohol.' I murmured. Alcide's eyes widened.

'He thought about that?' Alcide asked. Pam suddenly looked ravenous as the noise in the room escalated. I spotted Jackson at the other end of the room and he was pouring himself a glass from a new bottle of scotch, a smile on his face. I read the thoughts of the man next to him and knew without a doubt he must have been the Frank in question.

'Sort of!' And I stormed off. I elbowed my way through the ever growing crowd of werewolves, slipping out of the grip of more adventurous ones and finally was a few meters away from Jackson. He was about to bring the drink to his lips so I did all I could think of.

I ran full speed to him and bumped his drink out of his hand and it went crashing to the ground in a loud noise. Jackson Herveaux looked absolutely bewildered. And the man next to him looked positively furious.

'It's poisoned.' I claimed high and loud, not realizing just how quiet the room had gone. Alcide was right behind me in a second, Pam by his side. Both looked speechless. Christine Larrabee looked shocked and was staring at the drink on the floor. Dipping a finger in the liquid, she hissed in pain and growled loudly. Herveaux's eyes went from me to Christine's seared finger to Furnan who was fuming at the other end of the room.

'Shit.' Alcide muttered.

I glanced at Jackson Herveaux's face and knew this was really no good at all.

'Silver?' Jackson Herveaux asked me. I nodded, eyes wide.

_That little bitch figured it out…Not good, not good at all…_

'Who's responsible?' Jackson said loudly.

'Furnan. He had his man, Frank, deliver it to you.' I said, my voice lower. Furnan hissed in anger and I turned to glare at him.

'Is that true, Furnan?' Quinn suddenly said, splitting the crowd like Moses the sea.

'Of course it isn't! What kind of a wolf do you think I am! I'm capable of winning the challenges without cheating. For all I know, they could have planned all this to discredit me!' Furnan roared, pointing a finger at Alcide and his father. Most of the crowd hissed and murmured and discussed briefly about the possibility. I felt completely outraged.

'You are such a lying no good son of a mother!' I hissed. Quinn's gaze fell on me and his eyes widened, just as the ones of about half the crowd. I'd just insulted a werewolf competing to become pack master… Apparently it was a terrible thing to do. But I simply couldn't stop the words flowing out of my mouth. 'You had this man deliver a silver-laced bottle of alcohol to Jackson Herveaux because you are a coward. And don't you dare deny it, I read it in your thoughts.' I replied, hands on my hips. Furnan looked positively outraged and Pam took a careful step in front of me to protect me from Furnan's fury if he decided to stupidly act on impulse and attack me. Some of Furnan's supporters looked equally outraged and I realized I should have let Alcide speak, or even Jackson, but I had simply been infuriated by that coward's words.

'If this is true, the competition shouldn't even continue and Jackson should be by werewolf law officially named Pack master. You could face death for such a treason, Furnan…' Quinn said, deadly serious.

'Are you seriously going to believe the words of a no good white-trash back water waitress over mine?' Furnan hissed. I blushed all shades of red at his words. What was it with people holding my job against me all the time? As if I'd chosen to be a waitress… Pam growled menacingly. She did not seem to take well her master's girlfriend being insulted by a cowardly wolf. 'One that associates with deaders…' Furnan added, baring his teeth at Pam. Pam snickered.

'Don't you insult her, Furnan. That woman has proven her loyalty time and time again to all the supes and she is a Telepath. Of course, we'll believe her word.' Quinn replied, taking my defence. I gazed at him briefly but he was facing Furnan with clenched fists. Oh right, now they were going to fight over some stupid comment.

'Please don't fight over this.' I said to Quinn. Quinn simply glared at me and then at Furnan. He then turned to Jackson.

'So, Mr Herveaux, what shall we do?'

And surprising all of us, Herveaux said something incredibly stupid in my opinion, and oh-so typically masculine.

'I won't win by forfeit because this idiot cannot play fair. I will fight him and prove myself worthier of the title. And I'll win.' Jackson said. And somehow, I just knew he'd just signed many weres present's downfall. Trust men to act on impulse and be proud and want blood when none need be spilled. Pam grabbed my arm and pulled me away from in between Jackson and Furnan.

'There's nothing more you can do here, Sookie. We should go.' Pam muttered. But Alcide stopped her.

'We still need her to read Furnan's thoughts during the challenges, to make sure he doesn't cheat some more. Please?' Alcide said, asking me, more than asking Pam, for which I kind of was grateful. I was getting fed up with being treated like a disposable thing everyone could rent the services of.

'Fine.' I acquiesced, not knowing I just have barged right out of there the minute I was offered an exit strategy. Pam hissed and her hand tightened on my arm.

'This is not a good idea, Sookie.' She muttered lowly.

'I know but I owe him.' I retorted, shaking my arm out of her clasp.

'You'll be the end of all of us, stubborn breather…' Pam muttered before stepping aside. The mood in the room shifted as every wolf present was eager for a good fight and Quinn resumed his position as organizer of the pack meeting, his men preparing the challenges. About ten minutes later, everyone was ready for the 'games' as a sick twisted person might refer to what was about to unfold in front of my very eyes. I felt like a roman getting ready to watch a gladiator match. And that metaphor was pretty much accurate as far as I can say.

**Hahaha Yes I know, I'm mean, again some sort of a cliffie, but well if you've gotten this far with me, you know I'll make it up to you guys somehow 8-) :) at least I'll try :) I LOVE YOU GUYS YOU MAKE MY DAY! AND THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH FOR BEARING WITH ME :)**


	36. Tear You Apart

**Heaven's to Betsy, I won't even bother apologizing, I know I do not deserve to be forgiven LOL anyways at last here is the next chapter muhahahah I had so much trouble getting it out on paper (busy little girl I've been!) But there it is, not entirely to my liking - as I'm kind of looking MUCHO forward to Rhodes which will be fun fun fun, and this is just some stuff I had to get ''out of the way'' so to speak but then again, there's some tiny lime-lemon goodies at the end :)**

**Just a reminder of the last chapters for those like me who don't remember (hahaha just kidding), Sookie was kidnapped by Hadley -fresh vamp- on the Queen's order and Eric had to plan this grand tribunal with McAlister so as to get Sookie back without her being killed in the process. Sookie met many fun characters during the tribunal (Bubba, Gabrielle, Norma Jean, Quinn - yuck, hairball down my throat- hahaha) and both Sophie-Anne and Andre were condemned to twenty years in silvered coffins for many offences against pretty much the entire universe and now Sookie was almost back to her normal life, but then TA-TAAAAA VIctor Madden had to come and get it all prissy-shitty and taunting around. Eric now knows -again- that Sookie can hear his thoughts. And then Alcide asked Sookie to accompany him to the pack meeting for the choosing of the new pack-master -hence some Furnan shit since he's a prick and annoying bum-bum. So Sookie had a sleepover with Pam so as to assure her security until the pack meeting since Madden Crazy Vamp is on the loose and looking for a snack and now Sookie has arrived safe and sound to the pack meeting with Pam and Alcide as escorts and she's defused the silver bomb - so to speak - that Furnan had unleashed upon Jackson Herveaux, Alcide's father, who was competing for the title. Quinn is hosting the event and Sookie is a trouble-magnet so let the violent galore ensue :)!**

**Once again, thanks for being patient with me as I'm one hell of a bad updater these days - MUSES WHERE ART THOUGH? - and I generally suck. But I still love the bunch of you fellow readers who still give a damn about my crazy stories and I'll try my best not to leave you hanging on a thread again - aka post as soon as I can. **

**Title for this chapter is the song Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge. Here is some naughty fun music to inspire you gals as you read!**

**Please review even thought I don't deserve it. I'm just dying to reach the 1K :D!**

**I LOVE YOU ALL! Kiss kiss, bang bang :)**

**Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge**

**Unknown - Joe Stansberry (freakin' amazing, title song of the movie Unknown with Jim Caviezel, weird movie, a bit like Reservoir Dogs in the concept but quite surprising)**

**Symptom Finger - The Faint (LOVE THIS BAND TO BITS!)**

**Southern Belles In London Sing - The Faint**

**Forever Growing Centipedes - The Faint**

**Wolf & I - Oh Land (Danish Electro-Chic, haunting song!)**

**Royal Blue - Cold War Kids**

**Dashboard - Modest Mouse**

**Restless- Unkle**

**There you go, music fans, some of my fav beats these days!**

**XOXO**

The three challenges were quite simple in their form. The first one, the agility challenge, consisted of a sort of obstacle race like the ones one would expect to see at a dog contest, except these special obstacles were all coated with silver, which is, as I had learned to know over my months spent in the Supe's world, quite a little painful both for weres and vamps – but one would be wise never to mention they have this in common as both races hate each other deeply, for what, I don't know. As Jackson and Furnan undressed to morph, people gathered in a tight circle around the ring. Pam dragged me as far as she could from the most dangerous looking weres, decidedly on Jackson's side of the room, and Alcide followed us. Apparently, for once both Pam and him agreed on the fact my poor human body should be kept the furthest possible from the possibly-morphing wolves. There were two consecutive popping sounds which drew my attention back from the obstacles I was observing to the beginning of the race where Jackson and Furnan had been standing. There now were two beautiful wolves snarling at each other, the biggest one a dark velvety grey colour with eyes the same shade as Alcide's wolf eyes – most probably Jackson, and the smallest, but not by much, a sandy beige colour, much like Furnan's hair colour, but with the weirdest eyes: instead of the usual golden yellow, this wolf's eyes were a dark shade of silvery grey which stood out against his fur. Quinn was standing between them, his tall muscular body still quite imposing near the two snarling creatures.

'Isn't it like dangerous to stand between them?' I muttered at Pam.

'Quinn is known in our world as one of the strongest most dangerous of all weres. He's a were tiger and he's one of the last remaining ones. Neither would stand a chance against him…' Pam said. I thought about how big and dangerous he'd looked to me back at the Queen's palace had he not been purring like an enormous cat, and shuddered. Yes, he definitely could snap a wolf's neck with those huge jaws of his.

'It's going to start…' Alcide suddenly said, extremely serious. I glanced at him and impulsively grabbed him hand.

'It's going to be alright.' I murmured. His warm strong fingers clenched around my much smaller hand and I offered him my best smile to encourage him. His father was after all fighting to death for the title. I would have been goddamned nervous myself… Pam eyed our joint hands and rolled her eyes.

'Eric will have his skin as a carpet…' Pam warned me. I gave her a dark look and turned back my attention to the two wolves who were getting ready for the race. Quinn lifted his hands and everyone in the room fell silent.

'We are gathered here to see who can best whom for the title of Pack master of the Jackson, Mississippi pack. Patrick Furnan and Jackson Herveaux will compete in the usual three challenges and the winner will be named officially pack master. Any attempt to cheat, to injure or to slow down the opponent in any of the two first challenges will be regarded as a terrible offense and the other will automatically be named pack master. Are we clear?' Quinn's loud voice echoed in the silent room. Both the wolves stood their ground and howled their approval.

'May the wisest, strongest and most agile wolf win. ' Quinn finally said. And then the race was on. Both the wolves were so fast I was having a hard time keeping on. They slipped easily through the obstacles even though they both were quite a lot bigger then some of the passages they slid in. Furnan had the advantage of being somewhat smaller than Jackson, but Jackson looked stronger and he managed to keep up with Furnan the whole way. Alcide's hands clasped mine tighter a few times during the race, especially when Jackson's dark grey fur sizzled when it brushed against a silver ring. In the end, Furnan slipped slightly on the last obstacle, so taken by the encouragements he was getting on his side of the room and Jackson beat him by a second to the finish line. Jackson's side of the room erupted in loud yapping and yelling and some weres even howled even though they still were in their human form. I was watching the whole thing quite fascinated. The whole room was filled with an almost palpable tension, buzzing with negative energy. The two clans of wolves were starring each other down and I just knew the shit was about to hit the fan. Quinn said some stuff before the second challenge started but I wasn't exactly paying attention anymore. I was watching Furnan and Jackson and both looked very, very pissed at each other. In fact, I was wondering briefly why the hell Quinn wasn't paying more attention to them. One wrong move from either side and it was going to turn into a very messy bloodbath. And then, I suddenly had a very weird flash, a very strong sense of foreboding that flooded me. _They're going to fight. All of them._

'Pam, we have to get the hell out of here.' I hissed under my breath, knowing full well she would hear. Pam's head snapped to me and she stared at me, suddenly very aware of her surroundings.

'I've been trying to tell you this for hours now what makes you want to change your mind?'

'Bad feeling. There's going to be blood, lots of it. We have to get out.' I said, eyeing the weres around me fearfully. I had no idea where that terrible sense of dread was coming from but I just knew my instincts were right. Pam nodded at me and tried to drag me towards the closest exit but I simply couldn't let Alcide in here with all those crazy weres who'd want to hurt him simply because he was Jackson's son.

'Alcide!' I said as the yelling and hooting in the room became louder and louder. It felt as though a riot was about to happen and I absolutely did not want to be there when things would get messy. I'd had my fair share in Jackson's Lou Pine of werewolf insanity. I was all in to help Alcide, but I would not get him or Pam or anyone else shredded to pieces simply because his father was a prick who couldn't stand winning by forfeit.

Alcide was obviously too taken by the wolves quarrelling all around him to hear me so I grabbed his arm roughly.

He turned to look at me and my face must have terrified him because he grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and levelled his face with mine.

'What is it, Sook?' He asked, his eyes wide and his jaw clenched.

'We have to get out. It's going to be a bloody mess. Please come with us, save yourself.' I muttered. I was shivering all over, that's how scared I was just then. I had never felt something so vividly and I couldn't explain what was happening to me but Alcide seemed convinced enough.

'What about my father?' He growled, dragging me as we followed Pam who was quite efficient at making us a path amongst the crowd. Her fangs probably were quite the accessory for the job.

'He'll live.' I said, with so much conviction I wondered how the hell I could know that.

'How do you know that?' Alcide asked, spinning me around so that I faced him.

'I just know. Now let's get the fuck out of here…' I hissed. But it was already too late. Two quarrelling humans, one Furnan's minion and the other a friend of Jackson's started fighthing, throwing punches and yelling insults. And then, chaos erupted around us in the form of popping sounds all around the room, every single one of them resulting in an explosion of clothes and snarls and howls. I tried to hide behind Pam as I was probably the only non-were in the room and there was very little that could harm her but she was already busy keeping a few wolves off her. She had fed so she certainly could take them on but I suddenly wished for Eric to be there. I tried to make myself as small as possible as wolves started fighting each other. I had lost Alcide but I spotted his golden eyes amongst the masses. He was making his way towards his father who obviously had engaged in a very scary combat with Furnan. Apparently, Furnan's supporters hadn't taken nicely Furnan being called a cheater in front of them and they had taunted Jackson's wolves until one of them had snapped – literally. Amongst the howling and growling I spotted Pam who gestured for me to make a run for the door whilst I still could. Apparently, I wasn't _yet_ number one on the to-kill list of most of the weres present, but that did not mean they wouldn't take a bite of me if they could. The smell of blood hung thick in the room and I almost yelped in terror when I fell face to face with a dark wolf.

_You little cunt you made this whole mess, you're going to die, bitch, I'll fucking tear you apart._

My hand instinctively went in front of me before the wolf could attack me and I felt energy pool in my fingers before they oozed a blinding white light. The wolf was thrown back a dozen feet and landed on another. I'd never been more thankful for my fairy powers. Pam was suddenly next to me.

'What the hell are you still doing here? GET OUT!' she yelled at me, showing me the closest door. As I tried to make my way there, I realised it was simply no use: every time I'd get closer to the door, a wolf would snarl my way or lunge at my arms or legs. One actually managed to bite me pretty hard on the right arm and I yelped in pain, trying to kick him off me, but the beast was a strong one. His teeth were digging real good in my flesh and I thought I was going to faint from the pain, silent tears rolling on my cheeks but suddenly the pain stopped. I looked up and through fogged up eyes I saw Pam, her stilletos digging in the wolf's side.

'You little fucker, you owe me a pair of shoes.' She snarled at the wolf before she snapped his neck with a fancy twist of her foot. I must have lost quite a lot of blood because Pam's head suddenly snapped my way and she sniffed slowly, closing her eyes.

'You smell delicious, Sookie…' She hissed. I suddenly remembered she was a vamp and vamps just loved to tend to human injuries but somehow I couldn't even bring myself to care. Before I could protest, Pam had me wrapped in her arms and was dragging me towards the door. We almost made it there but suddenly Pam stopped dead in her tracks – no pun intended. I tried to see what had made her stop through foggy eyes. Every part of my body felt like I'd been dragged in barbed wire, probably because the ground was harsh cement and I had been dragged on it for quite a while. My arm was feeling number by the second but still I managed to pull myself up in a standing position to see what had caused Pam to stop on the escape mission. Everywhere I could see there was blood and naked bodies littered the place and most wolves still stood, their jaws dripping with blood and saliva. They looked downright terrifying. But they weren't fighting anymore. And looking further in the room I understood why. Jackson, still in his wolf form, had a very naked Furnan under him, Furnan's throat dripping with blood. And then I saw it for the first time that night, the familiar coat of fiery orange fur that shown through the greys and browns of the wolves like a flashing beacon of light. Quinn. He quickly went to circle around Jackson and the naked Furnan and it suddenly dawned on me that Furnan was probably dead or dying. And though the thought should have made me happy, I still couldn't wash that sense of dread away.

'Pam…' I muttered, clenching my injured arm to my chest. Pam's attention snapped back to me and she saw that I was looking more green than my normal self.

'Let's get out of here.' She simply said, picking me up in her arms as if I weighed close to nothing. The next thing I felt was the cool air of the night on my skin and then the comfort of a car, whose I had no idea since Alcide had driven us there in his truck. But then again, Pam is quite resourceful. It was quite a nice ride and I suppressed a grin thinking about how even in urgency, Pam paid attention to style and décor. My grin however turned into a pained grimace when Pam placed me in the passenger seat and grabbed my injured arm to inspect the wound.

'You are really the clumsiest person in the world, Sookie…' She chastised me, eyeing my arm and then my side. I frowned at her.

'I didn't exactly fall on that wolf's open jaws if that's what you mean by clumsy, Pam.' I muttered, grimacing some more as she lifted my arm.

'I was talking about all those glass shards you collected on your side when you tripped and fell.' Pam growled low, angrier at the glass shards than at me as it seemed. I looked down at my dress and almost gagged. I hadn't noticed before now because I'd been so busy assessing the situation but when the wolf had dragged me – painfully – by my arm, I'd managed to get quite a few pieces of glass embedded in my skin, slicing right through my clothes. I closed my eyes and blew air slowly through my mouth.

'I'll have to take them out now or you'll bleed out…' Pam said, her tone very serious. My eyes snapped open and I gazed at her, terrified.

'Isn't it better to go to a hospital or something?' I muttered, though I'd probably regret such a trip when the bills would come in. Somehow, Pam playing doctor with me didn't seem like the best of ideas.

'And explain how you were in a roomful of werewolves that morphed and attacked you and that you managed to get out with the help of your vampire friend? Yes sure, Sookie, I'd love to explain that to Doctor Nobody. Now, just let me work and you'll be on your feet in no time.' Pam said, unceremoniously ripping the material of my top and exposing my bra. I gasped in surprise and she simply cocked an amused eyebrow.

'You do look rather appetizing, I must admit I understand Eric's interest, but I don't think he'd appreciate me having my way with you whilst you're injured…' Pam commented, grabbing a particularly huge chunk of glass between her fingers. 'Now think about ponies or whatever comforts you cause I'm sure this will hurt like a bitch.' How reassuring, Pam, I thought. But I didn't have time to voice that because she pulled the shard out and I passed out.

The next thing I knew, I was lolling in and out of consciousness in the passenger seat as the road drifted by at a very dizzying speed. I blinked slowly and turned my head towards Pam.

'We close to Bon Temps?' I asked, my voice croaky.

'Yes but I find myself in no particular hurry to have Eric snap at me about how I didn't do my duty in keeping you safe. If you could just refrain from tripping on dangerous objects you would make my life so much easier, Sookie…' Pam sighed dramatically. She continued talking about how Eric was going to have her head for letting something happen to me but I wasn't exactly paying attention anymore. I was feeling quite drowsy and I wondered if Pam had given me something after removing the glass shards but forming a coherent sentence at that point was out of the question. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, I was lying on my couch in my very own living room and there was a pair of dazzling blue eyes burning a hole right through my skull. I blinked lazily and frowned.

'D'you glamour me awake?' I murmured, a teasing smile on my lips. Why, oh why, was the man so irresistible? Eric's eyes narrowed and I thought I saw a hint of a smile on his lips but then his gaze set back to a determined glare and he looked over my head towards someone sitting or standing there at the end of my couch.

'She's awake.' He simply growled.

'Thank God…' Pam sneered and I could just imagine her rolling her eyes dramatically at her seemingly very pissed off maker.

'Do not joke with me, Pamela. You disappointed me tonight. I specifically told you to keep her out of harm's way…' Eric snarled at her. And he was extremely serious, I could just tell through the bond. I lifted my uninjured arm and pressed my palm against his cheek, drawing his attention back to me.

'I'm alright, Eric. Nothing was her fault.' I said. His blue gaze slid back to my eyes and then he looked down at my uncovered side which was still a bloody mess and growled.

'You're injured. I hardly call that 'alright'…' Eric retorted. 'That stupid dog too will get what he deserves…'

His words sent a chill down my spine and I remembered about Alcide. Alcide that we had left to fend for himself back at the werehouse.

'Oh my god, where is he? Is he alright?' I asked, agitated. Eric glared at Pam and then pressed his hands on my shoulders to push me back down on the couch as softly as he could.

'I don't know what's happened to him but I'm sure he's alright.' Eric said, his voice low. 'For _now_.' He added with a frown.

'It was no one's fault what happened tonight. Please don't hurt anyone, I couldn't bear it.' I murmured, searching for his hand with my valid one. His palm engulfed mine and he gave me a thoughtful look.

_You'll be the end of me woman…_

I closed my eyes a moment to relax as I felt a lot better now that he was with me, a small grin on my face. For some reason, I was hurting less and less from my side and my injured arm and as I licked my lips I realized he'd given me blood.

'Now, Sookie, Pam said you panicked at the werehouse. What happened?' Eric's cool voice brought me back to reality and my eyes snapped open. I looked behind me to glare at Pam but she had already left sometime during my conversation with Eric.

For some reason, I did not want to tell Eric what exactly had overcome me, as I had no idea myself what had happened. I briefly debated whether or not to tell him because the most I could gather from the whole situation was that I had felt something that was going to happen before it actually did, which was complete and utter nonsense to me. So I did what I thought was best for my sake and I decided to play dumb and shut my mouth. If it happened again I could then explain it to him, but right now, it only felt like an isolated incident which would have him worry for me when there was so much more to worry about such as the fast approaching summit in Rhodes.

'Nothing. I just… Nothing, really.' I lied, offering him a small smile. Eric's gaze bore into mine, his face void of any emotion.

'I can feel through the bond that you are lying to me, Sookie.' He chastised me, his fingers brushing my hair away form my face. I held my gaze steady on his before I answered.

'It's nothing, just drop it.' I said. Predatorily, he loomed over me, his mouth a mere inch from mine.

'Just tell me what happened so we can finally get to the fun part of the evening. I can't stand just looking at you all covered in your own blood I wanna fuck you right on this couch.' He growled in my ear before lowering his face to my chest where he slowly lapped at the blood that remained from my injuries. I squirmed under him and giggled as his tongue found a particularly tickly spot on my ribs.

'Now, tell me what happened.' He murmured, blowing air on my wet skin causing it to erupt in goose bumps.

'It'll sound silly…' I muttered, cocking my head to the side as he pressed himself over me, balancing his weight on his forearms.

'Try me.' He retorted, his face serious.

'I had this very strong, almost primal urge to get out of there. It's like I knew what was going to happen…Intense foreshadowing, kind of.' I said, trying to recreate in words that feeling I'd had, those awful images, all the blood.

'Have you ever experiences something of the sort before?' Eric asked, studying my lips with a heated gaze.

'No. Never.'

'Interesting…' Eric pondered, gazing at me for a while.

'You think it has something to do with my fairy blood?' I asked him, cocking my head to the side as I slowly pulled myself up on my elbows. I realised then that I was only wearing the scandalously skimpy bra and panties he'd given me and nothing more.

'If it does, Niall will be able to tell us about it tomorrow night. But for now…' he said, his gaze roaming over my body. I giggled and pulled his face down towards mine.

'Don't you want to know what happened tonight?' I asked him.

Eric simply grabbed my bottom lip between his teeth and bit down softly, causing a low moan to escape my lips. He chuckled darkly and passed his tongue slowly on my lips, his eyes boring into mine.

_Race you to the bed?_

'We could try the kitchen table…' I murmured in his ear, which earned me a playful bite on my earlobe.

'You are one evil little vixen.' He purred and the next thing I knew, he had gotten rid of the rest of his clothes and we were both sprawled on my rug, his cool skin rubbing delightfully against my over-heated one. This was one of the things I couldn't understand about the attraction I had for Eric. However injured, battered, tired or simply not in the mood I could be for a quick tumble, he could turn my mind around with just a well placed kiss or a purr.

As his mouth explored my throat and the sensitive spot right under my ear, I couldn't help but moan loudly and my nails dug in his shoulders, leaving red little crescents in the otherwise smooth skin of his back. Eric chuckled and his lips found mine for a searing kiss.

_I missed you_

'We saw each other just last night.' I scolded, my words interrupted by small gaspes as his skilled hands found the edge of my lacy panties and his fingers started doing their magic. I could feel the warmth spreading in my veins, my libido skyrocketing in time with his – thanks to his overly sexual appetites and the darn blood bond.

'I didn't get to finish, last night.' He hissed as I pinched his ass roughly, pressing him on my hips, grinding on him.

'Pam gave me a hairdo…' I whispered as his mouth descended on my heaving breasts, sucking and nibbling. He raised his head to give me a good long look, our hips still dancing a primal and carnal rhythm that was proving to be a lot more breathtaking to me, humble human than to him. 'Well?' I asked breathless as he increased the rhythm of our joint hips, my thighs keeping him in place, 'Don't you like it?' I half-moaned, half-cried as he remained silent, gazing at my hair. Suddenly he roughly caught my curls in his fist, twirling them around, tugging at them, causing my lips to part on a silent moan of pain and pleasure mixed.

'It looks like liquid gold…' He mused, his lips finding the shell of my ear. 'I'll owe Pam another pair of pumps for this…' he whispered before crashing his lips to mine once more.


	37. I Can't Behave Myself

**Here you are my sweets, a short chapter but a fun one because I was an awful updater before! I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all so much for the great review, it's definitely a big motivation for me to see that there are still people reading this! I love you all so much and hope you have wonderful holidays if by any chance I don't update by then (which I most probably will but just in case) Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy New Year, Joyeuse Saint-Sylvestre, whatever it is you celebrate, have fun, spend good times with your families and friends and take a deep breather! Holidays are stressful nowadays when they really shouldn't be :) play in the snow if you have some in your area of the world (I know I do... 30 centimetres in two days, my friends, THAT'S Quebec :)!) or make a sand castle whilst thinking of me and my poor little nose that turns red from the cold. If you have a chance to come to Canada some day, it's really magical during the Holiday Season with all the lights everywhere and the snow :)**

**Anyhow, hope you enjoy the chapter! As a reminder, the next one will be the meeting with Niall! And then the fun shall begin AKA Shopping + Rhodes :)**

**Wishing you all the best, I thank you once again for the fabulous reviews which really do encourage me a lot! Enjoy!**

As we lay in bed entangled, my sweaty body pressed against his unfairly still cool one, I couldn't help but relax in his hold, brushing his hair away from his face which was nuzzled on my stomach right below my breasts. Lifting his gaze to meet mine, my Viking smiled the most adorable smile. I couldn't help but blush at his examination of my face. I must have looked like a total havoc with my hair all messed up and tangled from our sexy acrobatics – trust me, with Eric, _screw_ the missionary unless he's in the mood - my makeup a mess and beads of sweat on my forehead. Yet, he smiled like a content little cat.

'I must look like hell…' I muttered.

'You look delicious. In fact if it were in a world where I was king, I'd order you never to wear clothes again.' He all but purred. I giggled and sighed.

'I meant looking all so… human. It's unfair really how you barely break a sweat at all whilst I end up looking like I just ran all the way from Shreveport.' I whined, gazing at the ceiling.

He instantly became very serious and plopped himself up on his elbow, gazing at me.

'You only have to say the word, Sookie, and I'll turn you and you'll never know the pains or troubles of being human anymore.' He said, his voice low and seductive. I looked into his beautiful blue eyes, two dark pools in the dim light of my bedroom and smiled softly.

'As tempting as that may be, you very well know I wouldn't like it. I'd have to watch all my loved ones die and then I'd be alone…' I muttered. He caught my face in his somehow warm palm and lifted my lips to his, kissing me softly yet passionately.

'Never alone. You'd have me. And Pam.' He said, releasing me. I rolled my eyes.

'Makers and their Children never remain together long… You'd tire of me and leave me.' I said, teasing him.

'I never tired of Godric.' He simply responded, studying me. I suddenly understood he was extremely serious about this: as much as he could pretend to know me, Eric was delusional if he thought I'd ever considered even for a second abandoning my humanity to live forever. Forever seemed way too long a bargain for me – an eternity of hearing other people's thoughts, if my powers remained, an eternity of solitude, of change, of hiding, of fear, of plotting and politics and guizmos. No, not something I desired in the least.

'Eric.' I said. But he'd felt it through the bond.

_You'd make a wonderful vampire, Sookie._

'Still. I love my humanity. And now I cannot contemplate being anything else than human… well also part-fairy, but that's already plenty on my plate.'

'Alright. But if you ever change your mind, you know where I stand.' He said, kissing me to seal the deal.

'Would you prefer me if I were vampire?' I asked him, slipping my fingers through the golden strands of his hair as he drew little patterns on my stomach. He pulled his gaze away from his ministrations and locked eyes with me, as if he was trying to decipher the best answer to such a tricky question.

'I like you the way you are.' He finally said. 'Even though you will change and weaken, even if you are vulnerable and need my protection, I like what you are and will cherish it for as long as you will have me.' He said. And for some silly reason, these words from his beautiful lips made my eyes fill with tears.

'Have I said something to upset you?' He asked me, his voice filled with concern.

'No, no. These are tears of joy, you silly big hunk.' I murmured, pressing his mouth to mine in a desperate kiss. I couldn't help myself but think about what I would be if one day he tired of me and decided he'd had enough. What would happen to me then? Life to me was Eric now. And I realized that it had been that way for a while – I simply couldn't picture a life without Eric in it because he took so much space, was just so overwhelming that anything or anyone else would feel or seem insufficient. Eric was my sun, ironically enough since he hadn't seen the sun in a millennium except for his brief visit when he'd risked his life to kill Russell. Life without Eric would leave me empty, incomplete. I needed him. And I feared that he might not need me just as much.

'What is it, love?' He asked, kissing the tears away.

'Nothing, I'm happy here in your arms.' I said, nuzzling deeper in his embrace. We remained silent for a while and I suddenly wished I had a fireplace in my room so we could lounge together in bed, watching the crackling wood and the flames dancing atop. As dangerous as fire was for vampires, I knew for a fact that Eric loved a good fireplace. It could have been mere seconds or an eternity but he finally broke the comfortable silence.

'We do need to talk, Sookie.' He said, serious. I gazed up at him and widened my gaze, waiting for him to go on.

'Tonight is our last night together until Rhodes. I'll be busy in Shreveport assuring that the bar and the Area is well cared for and properly attended to. Pam however will be with you most of the time since she expressed the desire to bring you… shopping.' He finished, amused. I rolled my eyes.

'Is my wardrobe so inappropriate for Rhodes? What are people going to be wearing? Ball gowns?' I said, sarcastically.

'Amongst other things. Most supernatural creatures are quite old-fashionned when it comes to celebrations. For the most part, everyone is dressed in evening wear the entire week the Summit lasts.' He said, evasive.

'For the most part?' I asked.

_Let's just say most of the gowns don't last the night… Nor will yours I assure you._

I scoffed.

'If Pam brings me shopping you can be sure as hell I'll care for my dresses…' I said.

_I meant that the orgies are rather…wild and amusing at the Summits._

I must have blushed all shades of red because I heard Eric's fangs click in place and he smiled deviously.

'I am not having sex in public, Eric… You can be sure of that!' I mumbled, eyes wide as he brought his mouth down on mine.

'We'll see about that…' he breathed on my lips before capturing them for a second round of two curling fun. I pulled back reluctantly because I had other questions for him.

'About Niall tomorrow…'

'Yes?' he hissed as his mouth discovered my throat languidly.

'Why would he want to meet us about my protection in Rhodes if he's going to be there himself?'

'Because the Faes do not reside in Rhodes during the Summit. They use a porthole that's heavily guarded to cross over to our realm.' Eric supplied, grabbing my earlobe between blunt teeth. I moaned loudly and slid my hands out of his hair and down the length of his back to his firm and sculptural ass, pinching it playfully. Eric growled and gave me a dangerous look through his eyes which were two dark blue slits, studying my breasts.

'Woman, you must learn to behave…' He taunted, licking his bottom lip slowly as one of his hands slid down my belly towards my womanhood. I gasped silently as he started rubbing my most sensitive nub slowly and teasingly, his mouth looming dangerously close to my breasts.

'Behave? Like I'm the one who can't behave in public you – oh – uncivilized – oh god – sex… crazed – oh god, Eric – Viking.' I gasped as he studied my face, my teeth biting in my bottom lip as he pleasured me.

'In Rhodes you will have to set your temper aside and allow me to present you as mine. To most supernatural creatures, you are nothing but a mere human, if part-fairy.' He purred, his erect length rubbing against my thighs which had spread to give him better access. The man surely knew how to sugar the pill.

'Does this mean…' I tried to say but coherent thought and phrase was just out of reach for me at the moment.

'Open your eyes and look at me.' He ordered, his voice dark and velvety. I obliged him with heavy lidded eyes as my hips arched against his hand.

'Eric…' I moaned.

_Let me make love to you some more and then we can talk._

'Yes, yes…' I murmured and then he slid in me in a swift move, our bodies moulded perfectly. My lips parted on a silent 'O' and I tried my best to keep my gaze on his, my head lolling from side to side as he thrust in me faster and faster.

'Bite me…' I managed to gasp when I felt I was nearing completion and he bared his fangs. He bent towards my throat but didn't bite just yet.

'You are perfect.' He murmured and the next thing I knew, his fangs slid like a warm knife in butter right on my artery, sipping at my blood as colours exploded around me and I gasped loudly, my whole body shuddering.

We lay there entangled once more, me trying to regain my breath and him, leaning on his back, his hand behind his head, smiling smugly.

'That was… quite something.' He purred, winking at me. I slapped him on the stomach, barely making him wince as he chuckled.

'I can't move my legs…' I whined, giggling.

'Then, perhaps I should take advantage of you…' Eric suggested, wiggling his eyebrows playfully without moving from his position, sprawled on his back like a king.

'Again?' I teased, pulling myself up on my elbow to give him a mischievous grin. His eyes became slits and he hissed disapprovingly.

'You are one little tease… I would love to do it _again_, but we really must talk about Rhodes.' He said, seriously.

'Pam already told me it's this big thing with all the Supes.' I said, grabbing an elastic on my nightstand to tie my hair, but Eric stopped me.

'I like it loose.' He said, rolling on his side.

'Fine. So tell me, what's the drill, what should I know? Do I need to curtsy? Dance the waltz?' I giggled.

He starred at me seriously.

'Oh no, oh HELL no. You have to be kidding!' I barked, my eyes narrowing.

'I told you they're old fashioned.'

'Yet they do orgies?'

'The Ancient Greeks and Romans held orgies…' Eric retorted, a hint of a grin on his lips.

'I guess I can manage the waltz… if you help, but curtsying? No way! When hell freezes over, will I curtsy to some pompous asses…' I retorted, stubborn. Who the hell did these people think they were? It's not because they ruled over the supernatural world that I had to submit to them simply because I had been dragged in this messy universe of theirs.

'Pam hates it too. Perhaps you two can come up with some fancy way around it…' Eric mused, twirling one of my curls around his finger.

'Damn right we will. Now what should I know? Perhaps if you'd just tell me what to do and not do I'll be able to keep myself off the burning coals?' I offered, lazily combing my hair off my face with my fingers.

'Will you promise to do what I tell you?' Eric askes, his face void of any emotion.

'Depends what you ask of me.'

'Obedience for one. I know what is expected of you and obedience to me is one of those things. I know you won't submit willingly, but trust me, it's for your own safety.'

'Obedience?' I scoffed. 'Last thing I knew Sam was the only person who could turn into a DOG in this town…' I snarled, annoyed before rolling on my side. Of course, Eric isn't exactly one to play fair so he nuzzled my neck and started planting wet curl-your-toes kisses down the side of my neck, causing me to squirm in his hold.

_You are such a proud little hen… but deep down, I know you like it when I boss you around…_

'In bed maybe…' I muttered, a small grin on my lips.

'I wish I could glamour some sense into you sometimes…' He teased, suckling on my earlobe.

'You're not being fair here…' I giggled.

'How's that?' He breathed on the delicate shell of my ear, causing my skin to cover in goose bumps.

'You're distracting me!' I mumbled, slipping out of his hold. 'If we are to have a proper conversation, I can't be in your arms otherwise you'll cheat. You may not be able to glamour me, but you have one _naughty _mouth, Mr Northman and long years of practice using it. I'm pretty sure you could make a girl do just about anything with the mere power of your lips.' I said, grabbing my robe and wrapping myself in it before plopping down on the antique sofa I had in the corner of my bedroom. He sat up on the bed and regarded me with a smirk.

'Except you. You are the most stubborn breather I've ever met, Miss Stackhouse.' He retorted, standing up to stretch in all his naked glory. I covered my eyes and chuckled.

'There, AGAIN! You're cheating!' I cooed.

'How's that?' he purred, a knowing smirk on his pouty lips.

'You're naked and parading around!' I chortled.

'I was _born_ naked. I don't know about you, but I feel pretty fucking good prancing around on the nude.' He said turning around to bend over the bed for God knows what reason – deep down I knew it was just to show me his delectable, most decadently perfectly shaped ass.

'ARGH!' I yelped. 'I'll go hide in the bathroom if you don't stop now.' I said, throwing him a pillow, which he caught and placed strategically in front of his hips.

'There, you can uncover your blushing eyes, Miss Stackhouse.' He said, sitting on the edge of the bed with the well-placed pillow still in place.

'Alright. What should I know about Rhodes, Sir?' I said, crossing my legs and making sure my robe slid up on my thigh. Eric eyed the procedure and made a move to pull the pillow away but I raised my eyebrows, daring him to do so.

'Fine. What did Pam tell you?'

'She said there was a Council and not just the Authority which is only for the vamps. She said there are angels, demons, fairies, witches, shifters, weres. Are there really trolls?' I asked, dumbfounded.

'Trolls?' Eric chuckled. 'No, no trolls..'

'Thought so. And she said there was the Prophet, a human who doesn't die.'

'No one knows if it's a she or a he. Though my bets are on a female.' Eric said, amused.

'Why is that?' I asked, curious.

'Her smell.' Eric said.

'So what you've met her before and just sniffed her?' I said, crossing my arms on my chest, annoyed.

'Apparently the Prophet is supposed to be the most beautiful human ever to walk this earth… You've got to understand my curiosity.' He said, teasing me.

'You are such a pig!'

'Angels are beautiful too. I remember back in the days when I met Gabrielle…'

'As in the angel Gabriel? Isn't it a man?' I asked, dumbfounded. So much for Bible time in church…

'Oh I can assure you she was everything but a man. Angel blood is quite… peculiar. Extremely spicy, not every vampire likes it. Most vampires prefer fairy blood because it's addictive. Demon blood is a crime against humanity, but they are quite pleasurable in bed. They run pretty warm.' He continued, clearly toying with me.

'You are insufferable. Have you really slept with one of each kind?'

'Not a shifter or a were… They are the… lower species. But I've had witches, a couple of them, Gabrielle was my only angel since they rarely pay a visit to our realm, as for demons… those are more… common.'

'And elves? Have you slept with elves too?'

'Only once, not a pleasurable experience as I recall…' He shrugged.

_Don't pout, you know I just love to make you jealous…_

'Fine. So what of all those creatures? How do I recognize what they are?'

'Oh trust me, you'll be able to tell, though demons look strikingly human when they want to. Angels have a sort of glow…'

'Like vampires?' I asked, cocking my head to the side.

'Vampires don't glow. Not to human eye at least.' Eric said, frowning.

'Good thing I'm not entirely human than.' I said. 'Because you damn well glow. Not much, not in a glitter kind of glow, but you do glow. That's how I could tell about… Bill, the first time. Before people noticed, I could simply tell he was different.' I said. I'd never confessed this to any vampire, but it wasn't exactly a great big secret either, still, Eric looked very intrigued.

'Do fairies glow to you?' He asked me.

'Sort of. A different glow. But they glow for pretty much everyone don't they?'

He shook his head.

'You can't see a fairy's glow?'

'Supernaturals can. Not humans.'

'Well I'm not entirely human.' I sighed. As if I needed a reminder.

'For the most, you are. But you have this little something that's different from other breathers, not just the fairy powers and the most decadent taste' he said, eyes glazing with lust at the thought 'but your character…' He continued, studying me.

'Okay we're really off subject now… Can we get back to Rhodes? What's going to happen there?'

'Tribunals, weddings, discussions, parties… The usual stuff.' Eric said, dismissive.

'What is expected of me? Of you?'

'Of you, to follow me, do as I say – which I know will piss you off so I'll try to keep it to the strict minimum. For me, to attend ceremonies and such.'

'Doesn't seem all that complicated…' I shrugged, approaching him to sit next to him on the bed.

'Hopefully you're right…' he said, tracing patterns on my back with his fingers. He then started massaging my sore muscles and slipping my robe off my shoulders.

'Are we already done?' I asked, closing my eyes in delight as his strong thumbs pressed my sore muscles and loosened the knots in my shoulders.

'The rest can wait.' He purred, slipping my robe entirely off to reveal my bare back to his skilled hands.

'This feels amazing.' I murmured. Before I could stop him, his mouth had joined his hands and as he massaged my sore muscles, he kissed my neck until I was no more than putty in his hands. I felt the need to show him just how good he was to me and I decided to reciprocate.

'What are you doing?' He asked, cocking an amused eyebrow at me as I took the pillow off his thighs. And there was Mr Happy, ready for some action.

'Seeing as to give you a massage I'd probably need a hammer so that you'd feel anything at all, I thought I'd give you a little something else.' I said, kneeling in front of him.

_You little minx…_

'Sookie…' he sighed when my lips closed around his length. I pulled back and blew cool air on the tip.

'Shut up and enjoy.' I said, my heavy lidded gaze locking with his. He smiled like a dangerous cat.

_Oh trust me, I will._

**Muhahaha and enjoy, Eric will :)!**


	38. The End Begins Just As It Starts

**Okay, I know, I suck big time. Let me explain: I've been super dooper extra doopra busy the past month with university and I'm right now putting my readings aside to publish this chapter because you guys are awesome for still reading this and I love you all :) so yeah, this is my mea culpa, it sucks and I should be staked but then you wouldn't know what happens next MUHAHAH! Oh and what a cliffy at the end of this one, some of you might hate me hahaha for the cliffy, not for it's purpose which I (really hope!) think you'll like :) so for those of you (like me) who read so many fanfics you can't remember every detail for each and every single one, here's a little reminder of this story (because I doubt any of you have the courage to go through 37 chapters of my True Blood delirium just for the sake of this chappie!)**

**Sookie has trusted Eric instead of Bill and all sorts of things have been happening to her ever since she's been with Eric. Most recently, she was captured by the Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne with the help of Hadley who's been turned (and therefore must obey her Mama Vamp - I must mention here that I nicknamed Mrs Fortenberry Mama Hoyt for the purpose of adoring the woman because she dances on Party Lights and yells NORMAN BATES! at Hoyt during season 2, two reasons for which I absolutely adore the character hahahaha so Mama Hoyt, Mama Vamp, cute little pie names :D!). Andre is a psychopath and Sophie-Anne is just as insane with Sookie but ta-ra-ta-ta, Eric comes to the rescue with the Magister and about half of Louisiana (during Andre's birthday party might I add) and to sum things up, Sookie meets Quinn, McAlister really likes Sookie and condemns both Andre and Sophie-Anne to twenty years in silver-bound coffins and everything goes to normal once again (for about ten milliseconds) because once back home, Sookie gets asked by Alcide to attend a pack meeting where the Jackson pack will pick a new Packmaster seeing as Colonel Flood has been... disposed of... :P Ta-ra-ta-ta, hell hath no fury like a scorned Pam and when things go downhill, Pam and Alcide to their best to save Sookie's ass from sharp werewolf teeth whilst Quinn goes all purry kitten as he rips yapping-wolf throats in a very BENGAL fashion. Sookie gets all messed up from colliding with glass shards and Eric takes care of her. All. Night. Long. (and the night is not the only thing that is long in this case :D yummy yummy funny bunny!) I am a tad bit tired hence the crazy-vocabulary galore! And so here we are, Sookie wakes up after tons of sexy times with her Viking and she prepares mentally for an evening of fun Brigant-style as Niall wants to put his fairy nose in his great grand daughter's business regarding the fast approaching meeting in Rhodes (which is going to be one hell of a party and y'all are invited of course). **

**Blood, suck and fuck-n'-roll to come in the following chapters :) I'm thinking that in a chapter or two, we will be embarking on Part 3 of Fresh Blood. Gazillion kisses and lots of love to all of you who are still sailing my boat with me :) I cannot thank you enough for the great support you've all provided so far and I will try very hard to update in less than like a decade so that we still all have teeth when we finally get our own bite of that Viking (unlikely but uh well...)**

**Here's a bit of music to inspire y'all :D!**

**Houses - Great Northern**

**Empathy - Crystal Castles **

**Snake Tongued Beast - Saybia**

**Give Up On Ghosts - Computer VS. Banjo (yeah hahaha BANJO :)!)**

**Sinister Kid - The Black Keys**

**Distance - Parov Stelar Feat Lylith**

**Furr - Blitzen Trapper**

**Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie**

**PLEASE REVIEW ! I'D SOOOO LOVE TO GET TO 1K with this chapter! But please don't let numerals stop you :) I'd love to get to 2K too or 3K :D hahahhaahah **

**I LOVE YOU GUYS YOU ROCK MY SOCKS OFF :)**

**xoxoxo **

**Enjoy! (I really really hope you do lolll! I'm a little quivering puppy here hahah! It's a rather short chapter but it's kind of sweet ;)!)**

When I woke up in the morning, I was alone in bed and I knew he wasn't in the house with me anymore. The last thing he'd told me before I'd fallen asleep was that we'd see each other tonight a little before midnight when he joined me for our meeting with Niall and then we'd have to part for the few days left before we left for Rhodes. I checked my alarm clock to see what time it was and almost jumped out of bed. It was nearly 11am and I was supposed to do the lunch shift at Merlotte's at 11: 30am. I ran into the shower and got dressed in record time and applied a coat of mascara before skipping to the door, my keys jingling in my hand as I tried to slip on my Nikes.

Sam was busy receiving a shipment when I arrived to I set to help him before the bar would officially open and start receiving hordes and hordes of the Bon Temps folks who would no doubt gossip as they so loved to do.

'How are you doing, chere?' he asked me, eyeing my arm which still had faint pink lines from my cuts. Eric's blood could only do so much and the scars would take a little longer to fade.

'Peachy.' I replied, out of breath after dragging a particularly heavy crate to the back door.

'What happened to your arm if you don't mind me asking?' He asked me with a serious look. I sighed. As much as I loved Sam, I couldn't help but find it sometimes annoying how he patronized me and thought I was some fragile doll he had to protect.

'Slipped on broken glass.' I swiftly replied, giving him a wide smile. There really was no need to worry him and tell him all about how I'd really gotten the cuts. Anyhow, I was feeling quite… sated to say the least after the night I'd spent in Eric's arms. Physically sated at least. My moral wasn't exactly doing as good.

'You ought to be careful Sook…' Sam said but I could see in his eyes that he did not buy my story… at all. At least he was kind enough to drop it and changed the subject.

'So, I suppose you're going to that big meeting in Rhodes?' He asked. Somehow, I could tell that my answer wasn't going to please him.

'Yes, I kind of have to.' I replied, hoping he wouldn't ask for details. Which was underestimating Sam of course.

'Have to? He's forcing you to go?' Sam replied, dropping his crate, frowning. I could tell he was getting angry and for all the wrong reasons.

'If he refers to the Magister than yes, he is forcing me to go. He ordered Eric to bring me to Rhodes.' I replied.

'Shit. That freaky guy from New Orleans right?' Sam asked, frowning deeply. He didn't look one bit pleased by the fact the Magister had taken a sort of bizarre liking in me. And I couldn't help but agree with him. As friendly as McAlister had acted towards me, I couldn't help but feel just how much it resembled the friendliness a cat would have to a mouse he was about to eat. I was the dinner for McAlister and his requesting my presence in Rhodes was nagging at my mind. Of course I hadn't had loads of time to ponder about it in the last few days, but I'd be sure to ask Niall about it when we met with Eric tonight. There was something about McAlister and how he fit in Eric and I's equation that nagged at my brain, like a little voice trying to tell me something just didn't seem right.

'Yeah, him exactly. I'm not too sure what he wants me in Rhodes for, though. Anyhow, I still have two weeks before I go, Sam.' I said with my best reassuring smile.

Sam dropped the subject and we continued with small talk. When the first patrons arrived for lunch, we were so busy that he didn't have any more time to question me further and I made sure to keep so busy he wouldn't have an occasion to corner me. The day was pretty quiet overall and I ate my own snack in the kitchen where Lafayette was busy spicing up his new chilli recipe.

'So baby doll, how's you doing?' He drawled, batting his heavily made up lids at me in a mock flirtatious move. I gave him my best fake smile but of course that did not work with Lafayette. He raised an eyebrow at me and placed his hand on his hip waiting for my honest answer.

'Tired. Mentally. So much has happened in the past few weeks I feel like going away to a secret island with Eric and just hiding there until the trouble passes…' I said, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.

'But darlin' you knew you were getting in trouble the moment you got involved with him. That big hunk of a boyfriend of yours – tasty as he might look – has trouble written all over his face… And he's dangerous and all…trust me, I know first hand. But I'll spare you the Sam possessive bullshit. I'm not jealous of your boyfriend, sassy gal' even if you're one tasty cinnamon bun.' Lafayette added, wiggling his eyebrows playfully at me. I couldn't help but giggle. It wasn't until now I realized how true my words were. I was tired. Deadly tired of being in danger, of fearing for my life, of running around like a headless chicken going from one death-trap to another in the hopes of making it to the next. I just wanted peace and quiet with Eric, at least for a little while and I sighed with desperation when I realized I wasn't going to get a minute's worth of peace with him until we got back from Rhodes. If we did get back from Rhodes in one piece.

'Tell me what's troublin' you suga.' Lafayette said, sitting down next to me on the counter wipping his hands on his apron before curling a strand of my hair around his finger softly.

'I have to go on this trip for business with Eric. And I'm having a bad feeling about the whole thing. And Eric won't be able to see me much in the next few days cause of the preparations and all and I just so needed to spend time with him. I know he hurt you and all, Lafayette, but he's… He's like my personal sunshine. He loves me and…'

'How's the sex, pumpkin'?' Lafayette drawled, his lips twitching into an amused grin. I slapped his bicep playfully.

'None of your darn business…' I said, faking a pout. But then again no one gave a crap about my love life regarding my happiness except him so why not? 'Alright, he's _fantastic_. I mean I don't think I could ever tire of him. He's… everywhere at the same time and… well you know… he's old and all so he's done pretty much everything. At first I found it intimidating but now… I just thank the Lord he knows what to do with those hands of his… and he looks absolutely glorious naked…' I finished, blushing all shades of red as Lafayette chuckled.

'You are one lucky bitch, Miss Peachy Puss.' He said, standing in front of me and lifting my chin to look me in the eye. 'Here's my advice. Destroy his clothes so he must remain naked at all times. Should cheer you up. Scissors should do the trick.' He added before strolling towards his burners where some stuff was cooking. Looking over his shoulder, he winked at me before adding: 'Oh and please take pictures. They'd do wonder on my website!' I threw my tablecloth at him and stormed out of the kitchen giggling like crazy. Somehow, my mood which had been somewhat dampened with by my talk with Sam got better and the rest of my shift went by smoothly even though the people in the bar were still annoying as hell, thinking nasty thoughts whenever I let my guard down.

Pam came to get me a little after sunset, as Eric didn't want me wandering alone at night. She stayed with me, making small talk as the evening sped by. I did some laundry and some cleaning under Pam's dubious eye, sighing every time she made a comment about how I wouldn't have to do any of this if only I'd let Eric take care of me. At some point I simply gave up trying to explain to her I actually liked being able to care for myself and decided to ignore her comments. The night was dragging by so slowly and I was checking my watch every two minutes. At a quarter to ten, I went for a long shower and allowed Pam to do my hair and makeup. I hadn't seen Niall since my (forced) escapade in New Orleans and I was hoping to make a good impression, especially since I had no idea what he wanted with Eric and I other than to tell us to be careful in Rhodes – as if we didn't know that yet… I was fidgeting in the living room for the last hour until finally Eric arrived. I nearly crushed him by jumping in his arms for a long, searing kiss, which he gladly returned before putting me down to look at me.

'Have you missed me by any chance, love?' He asked, amused.

'Have you?' I asked him, squinting my eyes at him playfully. He passed a lazy tongue on his bottom lip.

_Of course I have. Especially the way your…_

'Do not finish that thought Mister Northman or I might be tempted to put you up to the test again.' I murmured wantonly as his arms circled my waist and his hands grabbed at my butt possessively pressing me to his hips. I giggled as he nuzzled my neck, smelling my skin and sighing.

'You smell like vanilla and honeysuckle.' He breathed near my ear, causing a wave of warmth to spread down my spine and straight to the apex of my thighs. I pressed my hips closer to his and moaned softly when his tongue found that favourite spot of mine right below my ear. We were still making out, oblivious to the fact we weren't alone until Pam barged in the room, tapping her foot on the ground as she tsked at us.

'It's almost twelve, _Casanova_. You might want to head to the cemetery whilst I… protect the house or whatever it is you want me to be doing tonight other than enjoying myself with a cute European brunette…' Pam drawled. Eric's hands stopped gropping my ass obscenely – much to my dismay, I must admit – and he chuckled.

'You are right, Pamela. We should go.' He grabbed my hand and we headed out, leaving Pam to do whatever she pleased. I trusted her enough to know she would not disturb my home and she would most probably watch _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ as she'd taken a weird attachment for the blonde slayer and her Captain Peroxide whom she both found absolutely hilarious and eatable – or so she said.

'What do you think he wants to talk to us about?' I asked Eric as we walked between the headstones under the pale moonlight. Had the circumstances been different, the evening could have almost seemed like a romantic stroll under the starry night. Of course, we both knew better and we were sure to watch our steps and mind our surroundings – surprise attacks had become part of the routine so I had set a mind to always being prepared to be jumped on by witches, werewolves, vampires and/or other supernatural creatures that might want my blood, Eric's, our skins for rugs or just to kill us randomly. Life was so much fun in sweet Bon Temps…

'Security measures of sorts. Rhodes is going to be a headache, lover.' Eric retorted, his tone serious, punctuating his sentence with a slight squeeze of my hand on the last word. Somehow, however many times he said it, the word still sent shudders of bliss right down to my toes and back up. 'We should not forget to ask him about your… visions.' Eric added, eying me out the corner of his eye with a frown creasing his aristocratic forehead.

I was about to press him with more questions, especially regarding that nagging detail about the Magister but there was suddenly a soft and warm golden glow in the cemetery, like soft tendrils of sunrays caressing our skin. Eric closed his eyes and his nostrils twitched. Through the bond, I was flooded with his intense appreciation of the smell that we were now basked in. Faeries. He was however very in control and as the tendrils grew in number, the smell became fainter and fainter.

'What does it smell like for you?' I asked him, a small smile on my lips as I watched the portal grow bigger and bigger.

'Ambrosia. It's absolutely decadent. But not nearly as decadent as your blood.' He added, opening his eyes to stare at the man who had just appeared before us. My great grandfather was as elegant and lean as I remembered him and I couldn't help but smile at him. Somehow, I felt a sense of recognition when I saw him and I would have hugged him but Eric's next actions left me speechless and utterly surprised. Bowing, Eric kneeled and lifted his gaze up to Niall before speaking words in a language I couldn't understand.

_Greetings in the language of the Faes._ – Niall's thoughts supplied me. I glanced up at him and then at Eric who was now standing back up after kissing Niall's ring.

'Northman. My darling child.' Niall said as he kissed my forehead.

'Niall Brigant. It has been… too long.' Eric replied. 'To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?'

That was very Eric: straight to the point, no beating around the bush. But then again, I was starting to get a bit like that myself, especially in the last few weeks. So I did not complain and listened as Niall explained the reason to his visit.

'Northman, you know that the gathering in Rhodes will be one we haven't seen since the Vampire-Fae Wars. And you know that Fairies will reside in their realm and cross over only for the important ceremonies.' Niall started. Eric nodded solemly. So far, nothing surprising.

'You also are aware that most fairies do not approve of the coupling of our race with humans. We are currently at war and t is getting messier and messier in the Fae realm. We have however signed a truce for the duration of the gathering in Rhodes between all Faes so that the different delegations may attend the gatherings to represent all fairies. The Council will be there and it would not look too good if the Faes couldn't behave themselves in public. However, that thruce only covers the grounds of the gathering. If Sookie should by any chance cross the portal between our realms, I couldn't stop anything from happening to her.'

'Why on earth would I want to cross the portal?' I asked, nervous.

'I'm not saying you would be foolish enough to do it, but some charms and magic could be persuasive enough to push you to cross even though you do not wish it. You must understand Sookie' he said, turning to me 'Most Fairies are dangerous creatures and the ones that disapprove of the mere existence of human-fairy hybrids are savage and bloodthirsty. They do not know of you specifically, at least I've done my best to keep it that way, but that does not mean your secret might not be exposed during the gathering.' Niall said. Eric's grip had tightened around my hand to the point where it was almost painful. Feeling my discomfort, he released his grip and brushed the pad of his thumb on the inside of my palm.

'Northman, that is where you come in play. If anything happens to my great-grand daughter at the gathering I will hold you personally responsible.' Niall said, his last words icy. Eric straightened next to me and I could feel the anger coursing his veins like a dangerous poison.

'I would never do anything to put her in danger.' Eric retorted, reigning in his temper.

'I know you wouldn't, but others around you might.' Niall said, his eyes narrowing as he studied Eric's face. 'And I also know you do your best to protect her but you should give her more credit Northman and trust her more. I know you to be a fierce warrior but she is part Fae and a telepath. She's not your average human cattle.' Niall added, raising his chin proudly. I couldn't help but notice the double-entendres that filled his every word and I bit my bottom lip, frustrated.

They then started speaking in a language I couldn't understand and I puffed air out of my mouth, annoyed. What was the point of requesting my presence here if it was to speak about stuff I was not privy on or using dead languages even the best scholars of the world didn't even know about? Their discussion stretched on and on and a myriad of emotions passed through the bond. Niall chuckled a few times whilst Eric seemed to fume but they finally came to an understanding when Niall handed Eric a silvery pouch no bigger than one square inch. The fabric looked delicate and I was afraid for a second it might be made of silver threads by the way the pouch glimmered in the moonlight. Had I been more attentive I might have understood what the hell was in that pouch, but I was at the moment more worried about what they might have been talking about.

'I will do everything in my power to keep her safe.' Eric finally said, in English this time (thank you very much). I rolled my eyes and sighed.

'Start by trusting her, Northman.' Niall said, raising an eyebrow.

'What does he mean?' I all but murmured, turning to look at Eric. Eric's face was impassive but his emotions gave him away. 'What are you hiding from me, Eric?' I asked, my brows furrowed, suddenly afraid he'd lied to me. Eric gazed at me and then at Niall who gestured for him to go ahead and get the huge ass tiger out of the bag so to speak. Eric closed his eyes and sighed, swearing in Swedish this time – I'd heard him use that curse many, many times and had come to recognize it as one of his native language.

'Oh come on, Northman, make a man out of yourself.' Niall laughed, loudly. I was so nervous I did not immediately understand what was happening. And when it did happen, I might as well have been struck by lightning. Eric kneeled in front of me, a serene smile on his face. Slipping the object Niall had given him out of a silvery pouch, Eric gazed up at me. Taking my hand gently, he locked his gaze with mine.

'Sookie Stackhouse, grand daughter of Fintan Brigant and great grand daughter of Niall Brigant, Prince of the Sky Faes, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?' Eric spoke, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't decipher.

'Sweet baby Jesus.' I breathed before everything went black and I dropped to the ground.

**HAHAH! You weren't expecting that were you? And no, she was not suddenly attacked by flying goblins or evil trolls :) she simply fainted hahaha poor Sookie ;)!**


	39. The Wolf and I

**Hello my darlings! Me again (twice in a week, Armageddon is coming!) no really it's just that I appear to be back on the saddle inspiration-wise and I decided to put that to profit by writing some more. Plus I know you were probably all dying to know if Niall was forcing Eric into this, what Sookie would answer and such. So here we go, chapter 39.**

**Just a few stats because I find this absolutely crazy: this story is so far more than 300 pages long on Word (without all the AN! which are quite substantial hahaah) and over 145 000 words (without AN again). I can't believe I've written this much especially since I think it's the first time I write a story this long apart from another fic I wrote a while back for Pirates of the Caribbean which I never published on this website. I'm a big, big HUGE fan of Jack Sparrow and the Caribbean galore :) Anxiously awaiting May 20th to see if Penelope Cruz can indeed kick some tanned pirate ass in the next instalment :) **

**On a different note, I would like to note that Alan Ball said in a recent interview that he was very excited about the Eric story-line in True Blood Season 4 which is coming in 119 damned days (yes, you read right, 119 days before we can feast our eyes on our favourite Viking... he better be on the nude at least once in the first episode :)!)**

**So I really hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one will most probably be some sort of a filler and then we embark on part 3 of this story, Rhodes. I warn you in advance, the next few chapters will probably be the last ones where everything is pink and pretty for Eric and Sookie. Heartache will follow and trouble with the fairies, the Magister, Victor Madden and Felipe de Castro, Quinn, the Summit itself (those of you who have read the book know a bit what to expect, but I will drift off the original story line and go a different path though some elements will remain the same...). I know most of you will be pissed with my Sookie for some of her reactions because as readers, you all know that deep down Eric does what he does for her own good, but walk a mile in her shoes and you'll understand that the poor girl is being thrown back and forth and pulled in all different directions life-wise. So please bear with her, I'm telling you this fic will not end on a sad note (I would probably drown my computer in tears if I were to end this fic on a sad note loll!)**

**So yeah, ye be warned :) **

**Hope you enjoy the chapter and please pretty please give me a review :) makes me giddy and all happy and it does inspire me a great lot to write some more and post faster :)**

**Some music to listen to :)**

**Masters of War - Bob Dylan (love it to bits)**

**Honey Babe Blues - Gee Gee Kettel and Soluna Samay (love the short excerpt we got of Emily Anne Reed's version on American Idol :)! she's my favourite contestant so far! hopefully she makes it to the actual competition!)**

**Baby Now - Nichole Alden**

**Moth - People in Planes (love it to bits to! such a great vibe)**

**and the song that helped me write this chapter (I think I've posted it before but hell, it's amazing!)**

**Wolf & I - Oh Land ! **

**Enjoy and review.**

**xoxo**

'I told you she was not ready for this.' Eric muttered whilst Niall chuckled. 'It is not funny, Brigant. She could have hurt her head on a tombstone falling.' Eric growled.

'You know as well as me that the only reason you haven't asked her before is that you were afraid she'd refuse you…' Niall said.

I kept my eyes resolutely closed at his words, knowing full well that what Eric was going to say would be crucial in some sense. A maelstrom of emotions went through me. His _wife_? Eric wanted me to be _his wife_? I had imagined many ways the man of my life would ask for my hand but at midnight in a cemetery had never been at the top of my list as a child. Of course, considering the company I now kept (vampires, weres and fairies), the odds of it happening in a cemetery in the middle of the night skyrocketed, but I had not been expecting that at all. I loved Eric, God did I love him. I loved him so much it sometimes scared me to no end: the extent of what I felt for him could not be normal, the blood had to be for something in it and if he ever happened to tire of me, it would hurt too much for it to be tolerable. I loved him that much. But to become his wife was an entirely different pair of sleeves. Especially if he did not want it and was forced into it by my great-grand father.

'I was not afraid.' Eric growled. 'Why on earth would I be afraid of her refusing me? Why would she?' Eric replied, his voice stronger.

'Yes you were, and still are. Northman, she loves you and you know it. Have more faith in her and her feelings.' Niall retorted, his tone patronizing. I felt a wave of anger course through Eric but her calmed down.

I had been lying there for a while now, too long for it to seem normal. My lids must have fluttered because suddenly I felt _his_ hands on my cheeks and when I finally opened my eyes, he was there, his face an inch from mine, starring at me with an amused grin on his mouth.

'Well there lover, had I known I'd have so much effect on you I'd have proposed someplace more… comfortable.' He said, studying me.

'Eric.' I murmured.

'Will you be my wife, Sookie?' He repeated, his eyes boring into mine, filled with an emotion I couldn't decipher even with the bond flowing between us. I glanced briefly at Niall and then back at Eric.

'…I… Eric, what the fuck?' I exclaimed. 'I mean it's one thing to ask for my hand but to do it because he's forcing you isn't exactly a good way to win me over…' I said, realizing just then that it actually hurt for him to propose under such bizarre circumstances: a proposal was one thing you expected to be perfect, after a romantic dinner or during a sunset on a beach. Not in the middle of the freaking cemetery in Bon Temps, Louisiana. He was silent and closed his eyes sighing. Through the bond, I could feel his uncertainty and his frustration, though the subject of which I could only imagine. My bottom lip was trembling and I was about to get up to storm back to my home but he stopped me.

'Sookie, please. Just listen to me a minute and then you can make a decision.' Eric said, still on his knees in front of where I'd been lying unconscious just a second before.

'I'm listening.' I replied, my brow furrowed in confusion. I felt as if we were in the Twilight Zone.

'I was going to ask you before we left for Rhodes where the ceremony would be held if you accepted. Not tonight but soon. I wanted it to be a surprise and I did not want to do it in the middle of a cemetery. You deserve better than that.' Eric said, glaring over his shoulder at Niall who was rolling his eyes – which might I add is quite the sight considering he's a fairy and all.

'So he's not forcing you to do something you don't want to? Cause you know I would understand if you did not wish to…' I started blabbering but Eric silenced me with a kiss. The kind of toe-curling spine tingling kiss he alone could give me. I moaned softly against his mouth, suddenly completely oblivious to the fact my great-grand father – my sparkling fairy prince great-grand father – was a few steps away, watching us like we were his favourite soap opera. My hands treacherously tangled into Eric's hair and pulled him closer to me, surprised when he suddenly wrapped my legs around his hips (I hadn't even felt him stand and shift our positions). Niall's loud throat clearing reminded us of our surroundings and I reluctantly pulled away form Eric's mouth to glance at Niall, my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

'Hush now.' Eric said as I opened my mouth to speak again. Putting me down on the ground, he took both my hands in his and caught my eyes with his before speaking.

'Sookie, I wish nothing more than for you to be my wife so I can finally claim unequivocally to each and every creature of all realms that you are mine and I am yours. Your – _annoying magic Podunk of a _(he thought) – great-grand father only precipitated my proposal. So will you take me as yours for as long as I live?' he said. I realized then that I was crying like a baby when his thumb brushed a tear off my cheek.

'You're already mine you foolish big Viking.' I murmured before kissing him with all I had. I was flooded with such a strong emotion of happiness and fulfilment that I could hardly tell where my emotions ended and his began. We were soon entangled in one another like horny teenagers, a situation that could have gotten might I say sticky – because let's face it, kissing Eric never ended in just_ kissing_ – but Niall caught our attention again by clapping his hands and chuckling.

Turning to him, Eric let go of my ass – which he was groping quite… graphically – and resumed to holding my hand.

'Perhaps you two should seal the deal with the ring?' Niall laughed, whole-heartedly. I didn't know what he found so amusing but when I thought about it, it was pretty damn hilarious. I started giggling with tears still rolling down my cheeks, tears of joy of course. Eric turned to me and slipped the ring out of the tiny silver pouch he'd been holding this whole time. The ring was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

'This was my mother's.' Eric said. 'It was lost centuries ago but I've asked the Faes to help me locate it – there's a tad bit of magic around it. And I've had a sapphire set on it. To match your eyes.' Eric added, grinning widely before he slipped the ring on my finger. The fit was perfect and the stone was magnificent.

'It's beautiful.' I breathed. There was a silence between us whilst I contemplated the ring I was now wearing that had travelled across time and continents and the mere idea of Eric thinking it'd be important for me to wear his mother's ring made my heart swell. He was perfect and he was mine, mine alone. I was about to tell him just that but then I felt the familiar magical tendrils caress my skin and a voice sounded behind Niall.

'So those are the two lovebirds then… Well, I must say, Brigant, your great-grand daughter is one tasty bite of a fairy.' The man – or should I say fairy – drawled with a heavy Irish accent. I glanced away from Eric and in the direction the voice had come from, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise, surprise that soon turned into fear. Who was that fairy and most importantly, was he here to hurt us?

'Preston, what a timing.' Niall said, a small smile on his lips as he looked from me to the man he called Preston and then back at me. Apparently I had been starring because Eric's grip tightened around my wrist.

To say Preston was good looking would be the understatement of the century, heck of the freaking history. He was almost as tall as Eric and equally as blond though his hair was longer and braided into intricate patterns with shimmery threads braided through. What struck me as the most surprising thing was his face: if I hadn't known Eric as well as I did, I'd have asked if he'd hidden the fact he had a twin brother. Preston was almost equally as handsome as Eric with the same strong jaw, dark stunningly blue eyes and devilishly sexy grin. He was topless and wearing some sort of tight tan leather pants that disappeared into equally tight and high rider boots. The only major difference with Eric was the fact that his skin glowed differently than that of a vampire (he was fae after all) and he had on a dark tan, darker than mine.

'Preston Pardloe, meet my great-granddaughter, Sookie Stackhouse, and her future husband…'

'Eric Northman. We've met.' Preston sneered. 'Pleasure to see you again.' Preston chuckled sarcastically.

'Pleasure is all mine.' Eric retorted, his voice icy cold. If sarcasm could kill, Preston would have dropped dead right there and then. Apparently, he and Eric shared some sort of history of the likes that did not create friendly bonds.

_Fucking Pardloe. Isn't that just fucking great..._ Eric thought. I glanced at him out the corner of my eyes and swallowed carefully, waiting for what was to follow.

_You are the most ravishing part-fae I've ever met, Miss Stackhouse. I must say Niall's description did not render you any justice… _ Preston thought at me and I blushed, knowing full well that Niall had caught that. My blush wasn't lost on Eric and he tensed next to me.

'Sookie, Preston Pardloe is one of my best fae guards and he happens to be one of the few fairies who are able to hide their smell from… vampires. Much like I do it myself. He will be spending some time with you in Rhodes during the day time when your Vampire is in his day rest.'

'That won't be necessary, I've already arranged for heavy security for Sookie.' Eric said dryly.

'Oh but I wasn't asking. This is another condition to Sookie accompanying you there, Mr Northman. I want a Fairy watching over her and I trust no one more than Pardloe to do the deed at the best of his competence. He will travel between our realms often and will not be there at all times, but I expect you to not offer any resistance were he to make decisions regarding your safety during the day, Sookie. Are we clear?'

'Excuse me, Niall, but I must…' Eric started to say but Niall held up his hand to signify for him to shut it. My eyebrows ran up and I clasped my hand around Eric's forearm, warningly. Starting a conflict now with the Fairies would be a very bad strategic move just two weeks before the biggest Supes' summit in North America.

'Northman, as much as I respect you, I think you must understand this: Sookie is not just your bonded, she is also the great-granddaughter of Fae royalty and a very gifted telepath.'

'I understand that perfectly. But I don't see what you are trying to achieve by putting her under the surveillance of the most womanizing of the Faes you keep in your surroundings.' Eric snarled.

'Says the most womanizing Vampire in the Northern hemisphere…' Preston chuckled. I shot him a pissed off look and he winked at me. The freaking man – fairy – winked at me. I blushed all shades of red and tensed when I felt Eric's anger washing through me like a strong tide.

'Preston, hush. Do not pour oil on the fire. I know you and Northman have some sort of history… but I expect you to be professional and not attempt anything at all that might anger the Viking.' Niall said, turning to look at Preston.

'May I bed Miss Stackhouse? Just so she knows the pleasures of the Faes before she marries her cold husband?' Preston teased waggling his eyebrows suggestively at me. Eric was probably just about to rip his head off his shoulders – a pity really since the man was so beautiful, but I was faster to react. In three steps I was on Preston and I slapped him square in the face, the sound of flesh upon flesh resounding in the night air.

'You will not talk to me that way, Mister. I'm a lady and you will treat me like it. Maybe you Fairies don't learn manners when you're young, but I sure as hell won't tolerate you making such insinuations in front of my betrothed.' I snapped, earning myself a chuckle from Niall and a purr of pleasure from Eric. Preston just starred at me, his cheek turning red from my slap, an almost amused grin on his face. Which was extremely infuriating. I was about to slap him again but Niall defused the little situation we had on our hands.

'Preston, I think it's time for you to go back to Fae whilst I finish out here with my business.' Niall said. Preston grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss to it and, before I could utter a protest, he was gone in a flash of light. Well that sure was pretty impressive.

'Please do forgive Preston for his ways. He's… quite popular with the Fae ladies.' Niall said, earning himself a growl from Eric.

'I know everything there is to know about Mr Pardloe and I do not think he is the best choice for a security escort for Sookie.' Eric said, squaring his shoulders.

'He is the only fae I'd trust with Sookie's protection right now, Mr Northman, seeing as neither Claude nor Claudine have the capacity to fully mask their smell the way Pardloe and I do.'

'He's not completely fae is he?' I asked, cocking my head to the side. Niall smiled, genuinely surprised I'd picked up this much from Pardloe.

'He is indeed not completely fae. Thought he was born and raised in Fae. His father was half Fae anf half werewolf, a rare mix.'

'A distasteful one.' Eric muttered. 'Tainting fairy blood with were blood is almost sinful…' he added, for my ears only. I repressed a chuckle.

'So now, did you have any questions for me regarding the gathering?' Niall said, his hands entwined on the round tip of his cane.

_Ask about your… visions_

'Great-grand father… I was wondering if there were other powers I would develop as a fairy other than the light buzzing and the telepathy.' I said, deciding to approach the subject like this.

Niall froze and starred at me, mumbling something in another dead language. Apparently, Eric picked up on his words because he tensed next to me, a whirl of emotions flooding the bond.

'You've had visions, haven't you?' Niall asked, taking a step forward to study me.

'Sort of. I don't know if we could call them visions… I just… I sensed something before it happened.' I felt silly describing it.

'Dear child, I shall be honest; this is not typical of faes. Telepathy yes, but visions, absolutely not. I do not know what to tell you as I had not expected this to happen.' Niall said, his gaze locked on mine.

_He's lying._ Eric thought at me, which, thank god, did not cause me to make such a noticeable face because Niall continued speaking. I'd have to ask Eric for more details later.

'We will have to monitor this closely and I shall tell you more about this in Rhodes. I'll go through the usual channels for information regarding this little condition of yours and then we can perhaps act on it. Did you want to know anything else?' Niall said, cocking his head to the side as he studied my hand entwined with Eric's.

'I had another question.' Eric said. 'What individuals should we be most weary of during our stay in Rhodes, faes I mean?'

'Legitimate question though I'm not sure I can answer quite clearly. You see there are numerous factions of fairies that do not approve of human-fairy hybrids…' Niall started.

'But they approve of Mr Pardloe?' I chirped in, annoyed.

'They do not know that he is partly werewolf. In fact very few fairies have ever noticed he wasn't exactly like them. We've always found convenient ways to hide his condition on the full moon by sending him off on various errands around Fae and in this realm.' Niall replied.

'Sounds fair. But how am I to know which fairies are dangerous and which aren't?' I asked.

'Most of the air fairies are no danger to you, I say most because there is a branch that is pretty conservative, but they simply don't approve of you. They'd never attempt to end your life whilst the fire and water fairies are more aggressive. The earth fairies are pretty neutral in this whole war and so far have not sided with anyone. That does not mean you shouldn't fear them. As for particular individuals, I must say there is one you should be weary of, my son Dermot.'

'Fintan's brother?' Eric asked.

'Precisely. We haven't seen or heard from him since the Fae wars started and I fear he will try to harm her if he comes in contact with her. I am sure he is by now privy to the truce in Rhodes, but that does not mean he will not try to fool her into following him to the Fae realm.'

'How could he fool me into following him?' I asked, curious.

'You see, Dermot ressembles your brother Jason to an extent it is almost hard to tell the difference between the two. I've observed Jason many times myself and was almost convinced he was Dermot once of twice.'

'So basically, if I see someone that looks like my brother I should run for my life…' I said, sarcastically.

'I do not know his intentions towards you, Sookie, which is why I do not wish for you to approach him unless you're with Eric or another vampire that might defend you. Dermot is able to mask his smell to a certain extent, which allows him to pass as human to many.'

'He'll still glow.' I muttered. Niall raised his eyebrows and glanced at Eric for an explanation.

'Sookie seems to be able to tell which creatures are supes because we glow. All of us.' Eric said, earning himself a surprised look from Niall.

'You see our auras?' Niall asked me.

'I don't know if that's how you call it, but vampires have a certain glow, a pale one. Fairies too but it's different. Same goes for werewolves though it's mostly their thoughts that identify them as weres to me.' I tried to explain. Niall started rubbing his jaw with his index and thumb thoughtfully.

'That's… curious. I'll try to get information on this too. I should be going now, your progeny is on her way here and I do not want to be seen by too many of your kind.' Niall explained to Eric before hugging me tight and dropping a chaste kiss on my forehead. He then disappeared in thin smoke.

I barely had time to breathe before I was literally tackled on the ground by a very excited Pam.

'She said yes, didn't she? Show me the damn ring, he wouldn't allow me to see it! He had your relatives keep it to make sure I wouldn't try and peek at it.' Pam explained, grabbing my hand and putting it under her nose to study the ring.I giggled as she glanced at the ring and then at Eric who stood towering over us, an amused grin on his face.

'It is beautiful. I didn't know you Vikings made such nice jewellery… Love the sapphire. Three carats at least…' Pam mused, glancing up at my eyes before she turned to Eric and smirked.

'I'll have to change the whole colour scheme of the ceremony, Eric. We can't have the ring clashing with the dress now can we…'

I chuckled once more and Eric helped me to my feet whilst Pam strolled around us excitedly, sniffing the air.

'My, my your family smells decadent…' She purred. Turning to me, she sniffed my hair and then my neck, moaning softly. 'Can I…' she was about to ask to have a bite of me but Eric pulled her off me and growled.

'No, Pamela. Your great-grandfather always leaves you smelling like a vampire gourmet buffet…' Eric explained, an amused grin on his lips. 'Sadly Pamela cannot behave herself when she's around good-smelling humans.' He growled softly, though I could tell he wasn't exactly angry at her. Pam grabbed my hand and gave me a look that almost had me giggling all over again.

'I forgive you Pam.' I said, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. I liked her more and more everyday and realized that she and Eric were the closest thing I had to a family apart from Niall, Jason, Tara and Sam.

'Now off we go to your place, we have so much details to arrange for the wedding…' Pam started to say excitedly. But Eric cut her off.

'Pam, would you please go back to Shreveport and make arrangments there? I will be spending the night here with Sookie. I'll be busy for the next two weeks and I wish to spend this last night here with her.' Eric said, giving me a heated gaze before turning to Pam.

'Aye, Master.' Pam growled reluctantly. 'I guess it's fair since I'll get to shop with her and hang out with her the next two weeks before we get to Rhodes…' Pam thought aloud. Eric chuckled and gestured for her to shoo whilst he wrapped his arms around my waist.

'G'night Pam.' I said, beaming at her as disappeared in the darkness.

'Come here you.' Eric murmured heatedly as he pulled me to him, pressing me against his chest whilst one of his hands cupped my chin and tilted it up so that our eyes were locked.

'You've made me a very happy vampire tonight by accepting me, love.' He purred, brushing a strand of my hair off my face.

'And you've made me a very happy telepath.' I retorted, smiling. 'Can we go home yet and rest?' I asked.

'Home sure, but who said anything about resting? I had other plans for you and that sumptuous body of yours…' Eric breathed in my ear before nibbling on my earlobe. I gasped loudly and wrapped my arms around his neck, our hips locked together.

'Yeah, I guess I can rest some other time…' I moaned when his lips trailed towards my neck and finally up my jaw towards my awaiting mouth.

This was going to be a long, long night. But a delicious one.


	40. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey everyone!

First of all, my deepest apologies for being such a lazy/poor updater. I have kind of been busy elsewhere and facing a MASSIVE case of writer's block. My inspiration still isn't fully back but I thought if perhaps I started correcting and getting my stories in better order I'd get back in business.

So I shall be doing that and when inspiration comes back, I will update. Thank you so much for reading me, it means a great deal to me even though I haven't been as fateful to you readers as you have been to me. I have to say the new season is doing nothing so far to my inspiration as I personally think it sucks – generally speaking, there hasn't been much interesting material IMO and the amounts of Out-of-character moments are piling up and getting more and more on my nerves – so yes, season 4 has been a big disappointment to me… Thank god for fanfiction (even though I'm sad and surprised to say I haven't read that many new stories on the boards recently ). So yes, I shall get my stories in order and then continue publishing if I am graced with some inspiration. I do not forget all of you and I'll try to bring my stories to a close as I think it's important to do so. The first one I will update will most probably be ''Hell Is Around The Corner''… I don't know about you but I'm in Pam-Eric sass withdrawal and it is PAINFUL and somehow forces me to find some way to have them banter. So there, I love you all and thank you once more for your patience and devotion and I hope you had a wonderful summer.

Xoxo

Spicy-Vanilla


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